Dietary adequacy and dietary quality of Inuit in the Canadian Arctic who smoke and the potential implications for chronic disease

• Published in: Public Health Nutrition
• Main Authors: Rittmueller, Stacey E, Roache, Cindy, Sharma, Sangita
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2012
• Subjects: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; Nutrition and Dietetics; Medicine (miscellaneous); Arctic; Canada; Nunavut; inuit
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1368980011003521; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S1368980011003521

Abstract Objective To compare dietary intake and quality among adult Inuit by smoking status. Design A cross-sectional study using data from a validated quantitative FFQ. Setting Three isolated communities in Nunavut, Canada. Subjects Adult Inuit ( n 208), aged between 19 and 79 years, from randomly selected households. Results Average energy intake did not differ between male smokers ( n 22) and non-smokers ( n 14; 16 235 kJ and 13 503 kJ; P = 0·18), but was higher among female smokers ( n 126) compared with non-smokers ( n 46; 12 704 kJ and 8552 kJ; P < 0·0001). Average daily nutrient intakes were similar among men and higher among female smokers compared with non-smokers for all nutrients ( P ≤ 0·05) except n -3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin D and Se. Female smokers had lower intake densities of thiamin, niacin, vitamin B 6 , folate, Mg, Na ( P ≤ 0·05), protein, n -3 fatty acids, cholesterol, Fe ( P ≤ 0·01), vitamin B 12 and Se ( P ≤ 0·001). Between 20 % and 50 % of male and female smokers were below the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for Ca, folate, Mg and vitamins A and K, and more than 50 % were below the DRI for fibre and vitamin E. The proportion of smokers below the DRI was lower for all nutrients, except fibre and folate among men. Among smokers, non-nutrient-dense foods and traditional foods contributed less to energy (−2·1 % and −2·0 %, respectively). Conclusions Adult smokers consumed fewer nutrient-dense, traditional foods, but had increased energy intake, which likely contributed to fewer dietary inadequacies compared with non-smokers. Promoting traditional food consumption supplemented with market-bought fruits and vegetables is important to improve dietary quality, especially among smokers.