A Pilot Investigation of the Links Between Contaminant Exposure, Nutritional Status, and Country Food Use in the Saht Region

Country food consumption among First Nations is associated with improved nutrition, food security, and lower rates of chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes); however, these food items can also pose potential chronic health risks via exposure to contaminants such as mercury. Elevated mercury concentrations in some fish species in some lakes in the Saht Region (Northwest Territories) have resulted in a series of food consumption advisories that suggested people limit or stop their consumption of predatory fish such as walleye, northern pike, inconnu, and lake trout from specific lakes in the region. A pilot study focusing on a dietary survey was proposed within the Saht Region to investigate the links between contaminants in the environment, community risk perception, nutritional status, and country food use. This project is a community-based study to develop and evaluate a dietary questionnaire to be implemented as part of a Saht biomonitoring project. Results are data from the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) completed by 20 participants to document consumption of traditional foods over a 1 year period.