Food consumption patterns and socioeconomic factors among the inuit of Nunavik

• Published in: Ecology of food and nutrition 2002-03, Vol.41 (2), p.91-118
• Main Authors: Duhaime, Gérard, Chabot, Marcelle, Gaudreault, Marco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Food Changes; Food Consumption; Households; Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology; Industrial Foods; Key Words: Inuit; Medical sciences; Nunavik; Nutritional survey. Food supply and nutritional requirement; Socioeconomic Factors; Traditional Foods
• ISSN: 0367-0244; 1543-5237
• DOI: 10.1080/03670240214491

This article examines the dietary patterns of the Inuit of Nunavik, based on data from a 1992 Government of Quebec survey. Using data primarily from the Food Frequency questionnaire on a sample of 178 women between 18 and 74 years of age, the study investigates the role of various socioeconomic factors and the influence of the socioeconomic status of the household to which each woman belongs. These factors are analyzed in relation to the proportion of traditional or industrial foods consumed by respondents. The study shows that the presence of a male head of the household and, to a lesser extent, access to an income, raise the proportion of country foods in the diet. Other findings reveal that the main mechanisms for the distribution of country foods, such as sharing practices and a community freezer, play a significant role, but do not compensate when the above two conditions are not found in households.