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International Polar Year Nunavut Inuit Child Health Survey raises concerns of hidden hunger

Seventy per cent of Inuit preschoolers in Nunavut, Canada鈥檚 largest territory, live in households where there isn鈥檛 enough food, a situation with implications for children鈥檚 academic and psychosocial development, found 捆绑SM社区 Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair Grace Egeland of the Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment and collaborators in an article in the upcoming issue of CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

The study, conducted by researchers at 捆绑SM社区 and the Government of Nunavut, looked at 388 Inuit children aged 3鈥�5 years in 16 communities in 2007鈥�2008. The majority of children (68 per cent) lived with their biological or adoptive parents. Twenty-nine per cent were obese and 39 per cent were overweight. There was a high prevalence of public housing, income support and crowded homes.

Research teams conducted bilingual, face-to-face interviews that included demographic questionnaires and the United States Department of Agriculture鈥檚 18-item Household Food Security Survey module. Questions included 鈥淚n the last 12 months, did your children ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn鈥檛 enough money for food?鈥� and 鈥淚n the last 12 months, were the children ever hungry but you just couldn鈥檛 afford more food?鈥�

鈥淔ood-insecurity is all too prevalent in homes with Inuit preschoolers in Canadian Arctic communities,鈥� writes Dr. Egeland and coauthors. 鈥淭he data suggest that support systems need to be strengthened for Inuit families with young children.鈥�

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捆绑SM社区, founded in Montreal, Que., in 1821, is Canada's leading post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 11 faculties, 10 professional schools, 300 programs of study and more than 34,000 students. 捆绑SM社区 attracts students from more than 150 countries around the world. Almost half of 捆绑SM社区 students claim a first language other than English - including 6,000 francophones - with more than 6,200 international students making up almost 20 per cent of the student body.

CMAJ 鈥� medical knowledge that matters
The Canadian Medical Association Journal showcases innovative research and ideas aimed at improving health for people in Canada and globally. It publishes original clinical research, analyses and reviews, news, humanities, practice updates and thought-provoking editorials. CMAJ.ca, a full-text website, allows people to use the latest health information. CMAJ has an impact factor of 7.5 and its website receives over 25 million requests a year.

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