ABSTRACT. A health interview survey was carried out in Greenland in 1993-94 among randomly selected adult Inuit (N = 1580) to gather information about people's perceptions of their own health and living conditions. Questions about preference for and frequency of consumption of selected traditional and imported food items were included in the questionnaire. Preference ratings show that traditional food was well liked in all age groups, but especially by the elders. The questionnaire showed more pronounced differences between age groups in how frequently traditional foods were consumed. Residence in a village or a remote part of the country, male gender, and a traditional upbringing were also good predictors of a high consumption of traditional food. On average, seal meat was the most frequently consumed traditional food, eaten daily by 20% of respondents, followed by fish (17%), wildfowl (10%), whale meat (6%), and terrestrial animals (2%). Imported food items like potatoes, cheese, and fruit syrup were consumed daily by more than 70%. Two concerns for the future are the decreasing consumption of traditional food among the younger generations and the possible contribution of contaminants in traditional food to this trend.Key words: traditional food, diet, food preferences, food frequency questionnaire, Greenland, Inuit RÉSUMÉ. Une enquête par entrevue sur la santé a été menée au Groenland en 1993-1994 parmi des Inuits adultes (N = 1580) pris au hasard, afin de collecter de l'information sur la perception qu'avaient les gens de leur propre santé et de leurs conditions de vie. Le questionnaire portait entre autres sur la préférence pour certains aliments traditionnels et importés ainsi que sur la fréquence de leur consommation. Les taux de préférence montrent que les aliments traditionnels étaient très appréciés dans tous les groupes d'âges, mais surtout par les aînés. Le questionnaire révélait des différences plus nettes entre les groupes d'âges quant à la fréquence à laquelle les aliments traditionnels étaient consommés. Le fait d'habiter un village ou une région reculée du pays, l'appartenance au sexe masculin et une éducation traditionnelle étaient également de bons paramètres de prévision d'une grande consommation d'aliments traditionnels. En moyenne, la viande de phoque était l'aliment traditionnel consommé le plus fréquemment, soit sur une base quotidienne par 20 p. cent des répondants, suivie par le poisson (17 p. cent), le gibier à plume (10 p. cent), la viande de baleine (6 p. cent) et les animaux terrestres (2 p. cent). Des aliments importés comme la pomme de terre, le fromage et le sirop de fruit étaient consommés sur une base quotidienne par plus de 70 p. cent des répondants. La diminution chez les jeunes générations de la consommation d'aliments traditionnels et la contribution possible à cette tendance de la présence de contaminants dans les aliments traditionnels constituent deux sujets de préoccupation.Mots clés: alimentation traditionnelle, régime, préférences alimentaires, questionnaire portant s...

High organochlorine concentrations have been found among the Inuit in eastern Canada and in Greenland. The present study was undertaken to assess the exposure to organochlorines in relation to age, sex, and diet in a general population sample of Inuit from Greenland. Survey data and plasma concentrations of 14 polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners and 16 pesticides, including 5 toxaphene congeners, were recorded in a random population survey of 408 adult indigenous Greenlanders. In a two-stage design, the survey response rate was 66%, and 90% of those randomly selected for blood testing participated. This was equivalent to an overall response rate of 59%. The median plasma concentration of the sum of PCB congeners was 13.3 microg/L; the lipid-adjusted value was 2109 microg/kg. The PCB concentration was twice as high as among the Inuit of Nunavik, Canada, 25 times higher than in a control group from southern Canada, and several times higher than the values found in European studies. Concentrations were similarly elevated for all PCB congeners and pesticides. The PCB congener pattern was similar to previous observations from the eastern Canadian Arctic and Greenland. Concentrations showed statistically significant positive associations with age, marine diet, and male sex in multiple linear regression analyses. The exceptionally high plasma concentrations of several organochlorines among the Inuit of Greenland are attributed to a lifelong high intake of seafood, in particular marine mammals. Concentrations of PCB adjusted for the consumption of marine food increased until approximately 40 yr of age, which is equivalent to the birth cohorts of the early 1950s. The age pattern indicates that bioaccumulation of PCB started in the 1950s, which is a likely date for the introduction of the compounds into the Arctic environment.

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