Alaska Native Elders’ perspectives on dietary patterns in rural, remote communities
Abstract Background Given the increasing rates of childhood obesity in Alaska Native children and the understanding that the most effective interventions are informed by and reflect the cultural knowledge of the community in which they are implemented, this project sought to gather the wisdom of loc...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:72f58583c18d42ad92ee2b15867df832 2023-05-15T17:05:39+02:00 Alaska Native Elders’ perspectives on dietary patterns in rural, remote communities Amanda K. Walch Kathryn A. Ohle Kathryn R. Koller Lucinda Alexie Flora Sapp Timothy K. Thomas Andrea Bersamin 2021-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11598-8 https://doaj.org/article/72f58583c18d42ad92ee2b15867df832 EN eng BMC https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11598-8 https://doaj.org/toc/1471-2458 doi:10.1186/s12889-021-11598-8 1471-2458 https://doaj.org/article/72f58583c18d42ad92ee2b15867df832 BMC Public Health, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021) Alaska Native Traditional foods Elders Diet Childhood obesity Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11598-8 2022-12-31T13:05:45Z Abstract Background Given the increasing rates of childhood obesity in Alaska Native children and the understanding that the most effective interventions are informed by and reflect the cultural knowledge of the community in which they are implemented, this project sought to gather the wisdom of local Yup’ik and Cup’ik Elders in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Alaska around how to maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Methods Perspectives were sought through the use of semi-structured focus groups, which were completed in person in twelve communities. All conversations were recorded, translated, transcribed, and analyzed using a qualitative approach, where key themes were identified. Results Elders provided a clear and consistent recollection of what their life looked like when they were young and expressed their perspectives related to maintaining a healthy and traditional lifestyle. The key themes the Elders discussed included an emphasis on the nutritional and cultural benefits of traditional foods; concerns around changing dietary patterns such as the consumption of processed foods and sugar sweetened beverages; and concerns on the time and use of screens. Elders also expressed a desire to help younger generations learn traditional subsistence practices. Conclusions The risk of obesity in Alaska Native children is high and intervention efforts should be grounded in local knowledge and values. The perspectives from Yup’ik and Cup’ik Elders in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta area of Alaska provide a better understanding on local views of how to maintain a healthy diet, physical activities, and traditional values. Article in Journal/Newspaper Kuskokwim Alaska Yukon Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Yukon BMC Public Health 21 1 |
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Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Alaska Native Traditional foods Elders Diet Childhood obesity Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
spellingShingle |
Alaska Native Traditional foods Elders Diet Childhood obesity Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Amanda K. Walch Kathryn A. Ohle Kathryn R. Koller Lucinda Alexie Flora Sapp Timothy K. Thomas Andrea Bersamin Alaska Native Elders’ perspectives on dietary patterns in rural, remote communities |
topic_facet |
Alaska Native Traditional foods Elders Diet Childhood obesity Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
description |
Abstract Background Given the increasing rates of childhood obesity in Alaska Native children and the understanding that the most effective interventions are informed by and reflect the cultural knowledge of the community in which they are implemented, this project sought to gather the wisdom of local Yup’ik and Cup’ik Elders in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Alaska around how to maintain a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Methods Perspectives were sought through the use of semi-structured focus groups, which were completed in person in twelve communities. All conversations were recorded, translated, transcribed, and analyzed using a qualitative approach, where key themes were identified. Results Elders provided a clear and consistent recollection of what their life looked like when they were young and expressed their perspectives related to maintaining a healthy and traditional lifestyle. The key themes the Elders discussed included an emphasis on the nutritional and cultural benefits of traditional foods; concerns around changing dietary patterns such as the consumption of processed foods and sugar sweetened beverages; and concerns on the time and use of screens. Elders also expressed a desire to help younger generations learn traditional subsistence practices. Conclusions The risk of obesity in Alaska Native children is high and intervention efforts should be grounded in local knowledge and values. The perspectives from Yup’ik and Cup’ik Elders in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta area of Alaska provide a better understanding on local views of how to maintain a healthy diet, physical activities, and traditional values. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Amanda K. Walch Kathryn A. Ohle Kathryn R. Koller Lucinda Alexie Flora Sapp Timothy K. Thomas Andrea Bersamin |
author_facet |
Amanda K. Walch Kathryn A. Ohle Kathryn R. Koller Lucinda Alexie Flora Sapp Timothy K. Thomas Andrea Bersamin |
author_sort |
Amanda K. Walch |
title |
Alaska Native Elders’ perspectives on dietary patterns in rural, remote communities |
title_short |
Alaska Native Elders’ perspectives on dietary patterns in rural, remote communities |
title_full |
Alaska Native Elders’ perspectives on dietary patterns in rural, remote communities |
title_fullStr |
Alaska Native Elders’ perspectives on dietary patterns in rural, remote communities |
title_full_unstemmed |
Alaska Native Elders’ perspectives on dietary patterns in rural, remote communities |
title_sort |
alaska native elders’ perspectives on dietary patterns in rural, remote communities |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11598-8 https://doaj.org/article/72f58583c18d42ad92ee2b15867df832 |
geographic |
Yukon |
geographic_facet |
Yukon |
genre |
Kuskokwim Alaska Yukon |
genre_facet |
Kuskokwim Alaska Yukon |
op_source |
BMC Public Health, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11598-8 https://doaj.org/toc/1471-2458 doi:10.1186/s12889-021-11598-8 1471-2458 https://doaj.org/article/72f58583c18d42ad92ee2b15867df832 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11598-8 |
container_title |
BMC Public Health |
container_volume |
21 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1766060335196798976 |