Title
Northern River Basins Food Consumption Survey Phase 1
Fiscal Year
2000-2001
Community/Region
Treaty 8 Health Authority, Alberta
Principal Investigator
James Badger
Community Project Lead
N/A
Project Members
Darrell Osaw Maskwa Gerrits, Judy Halladay, Laurina Panas, Marni Wilks, Shane Prasad
Project Summary
Members of the Treaty 8 Health Authority (Sturgeon Lake, Fox Lake, Driftpile, Sucker Creek, Swan River First Nation, Bigstone, Whitefish Lake, and Fort Chipewan First Nations) identified food security as a serious concern. Most families relied on store bought food as well as traditional food, and retail food costs were considered an important risk factor in food security. Although many families relied on traditional food, it is not cheaper than retail food due to the significant time and financial investment required for activities such as hunting and fishing. In addition, community members expressed their concern over the effects of increased industrial activity such as pulp and paper production on local traditional foods. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate the value of a framework for developing guidelines that promote a healthy, contaminant free, traditional and non-traditional diet.
Phase 1 of the project collected data on food consumption patterns within the community. The project team collected information regarding traditional food consumption patterns and various demographic, health, and lifestyle characteristics from the eight different communities. The team used food frequency questionnaires, a 24-hour dietary recall, a food security questionnaire, and a traditional food consumption pattern survey.
The majority of respondents perceived their health as good or better. A majority of respondents seemed to be following a traditional lifestyle, to some extent, with continued fishing, hunting, trapping, and snaring activity. A high proportion indicated that these activities were being done less often than before, which had led to an increased reliance on retail foods. Only a small number of participants expressed concern with contaminants in traditional foods, suggesting that fears regarding environmental contaminants were not the key reason for avoiding traditional foods. The study recommended posters, newsletters, and fact sheets be developed for communities to provide information regarding the nutritional benefits of country foods, and which encourage the consumption of traditional foods as an important part of a healthy lifestyle.