Dietary habits among men and women in West Greenland: follow-up on the ACCEPT birth cohort

• Published in: BMC Public Health
• Main Authors: Maria Wielsøe, Dina Berthelsen, Gert Mulvad, Silvia Isidor, Manhai Long, Eva Cecilie Bonefeld-Jørgensen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2021
• Subjects: Diet; Traditional food; Country food; Imported food; Arctic; Greenland; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270; Nuuk; Sisimiut; Ilulissat; greenlandic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11359-7; https://doaj.org/article/703447de142c4b4697e7829289bee6dd

Abstract Background In the past decades, the diet in Greenland has been in transition resulting in a lower intake of traditional food and a higher intake of imported western food. This diet transition can affect public health negatively, and thus, continued monitoring of dietary habits is important. The present study aimed to follow up on the dietary habits of pregnant women included in the Greenlandic ACCEPT birth cohort (2013–2015) and the children’s father. Methods The follow-up food intake was assessed in 2019–2020 using food frequency questionnaires for 101 mothers and 76 fathers aged 24–55 years living in Nuuk, Sisimiut, and Ilulissat. Non-parametric statistical methods were used (Mann-Whitney U test/Spearman correlation) to assess the dietary pattern and influencing factors. Results The proportion of traditional and imported food was 14 and 86%, respectively. Intake frequency differed by gender (vegetables, fruits, fast food), the living town (terrestrial animals, vegetables, fruits), and age (fish, meat products, fruits, fast food). Socioeconomic and lifestyle factors significantly correlated with the intake frequency of several traditional and imported foods. Few changes in the mother’s dietary habits from inclusion (during pregnancy) to follow-up (3–5 years later) were found, showing less frequent intake of seabirds and fruits and more frequent meat intake. Conclusion We identified several factors that could affect dietary habits, and the results may be used to target future food recommendation for relevant population groups.