Diet quality is positively associated with intake of traditional foods and does not differ by season in remote Yup’ik communities

• Published in: International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Main Authors: Courtney M Hill, Sarah H. Nash, Scarlett E. Hopkins, Bert B. Boyer, Diane M. OBrien, Andrea Bersamin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2023
• Subjects: Healthy eating index; Alaska native; Yup’ik; seasonal variation; indigenous communities; dietary biomarker; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic; Circumpolar Health; International Journal of Circumpolar Health; Tundra; Alaska
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2023.2221370; https://doaj.org/article/7acb1501999345039bfded7c868c7cfb

ABSTRACTThis study evaluated whether traditional food intake and diet quality differed by season in Yup’ik communities and examined the relationship between intake of traditional food groups and diet quality. Data were collected from 38 participants, ages 14–79 years, from two Yup’ik communities in Southwest Alaska from 2008 to 2010. Self-reported intake (24-h recalls) and dietary biomarker (nitrogen stable isotope ratio) data were collected twice in distinct seasons. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index. A paired sample t-test was used to test for seasonal differences in traditional food intake and diet quality, and linear regression was used to evaluate associations between traditional food intake and diet quality. Total traditional food intake and overall diet quality did not significantly differ by season, but there were differences in traditional food group intake and diet quality component scores. Diet quality was strongly associated with intake of traditional food groups including fish, tundra greens, and berries. Given the strong relationship between traditional food intake and diet quality, policies should aim to ensure continued access to traditional foods in Yup’ik communities amid environmental changes in the circumpolar North.