The aims of the present study were to (1) characterise the diets of adult Inuit; (2) highlight foods for a nutritional and lifestyle intervention programme; (3) develop a quantitative FFQ (QFFQ) to evaluate the programme and monitor changes in dietary intake in this population over time. A dietary survey using single 24-h dietary recalls was conducted among Inuit aged between 19 and 87 years in two communities in Nunavut, Canada. Eighty-seven subjects completed the recalls (response rate was approximately 73 %). The mean energy intake for men and women was 9530 and 6939 kJ, respectively. The intakes of dietary fibre and the majority of vitamins and minerals (especially vitamins A, D, and E, total folate and Ca) were far below the recommendations. Traditional foods contributed 40 and 42 %, respectively, to protein and Fe intakes. Non-nutrient-dense store-bought foods were consumed much more frequently than the nutrient-dense traditional foods. Foods high in fat and sugar were highlighted, and will be replaced by healthier, more nutrient-dense alternatives to address the dietary inadequacies for the nutritional intervention programme. A 154-item QFFQ was developed and pilot tested in the Arctic Inuit. The present study highlighted foods to be targeted for a nutritional and lifestyle intervention programme not previously undertaken in this population. This QFFQ is culturally appropriate and specific for evaluating the effectiveness of the programme, as well as monitoring nutritional transition in this population.

nuvialuit in Canada's Western Arctic have been living by hunting and gathering for approximately 1,000 years. 1 Two activities define traditional Inuvialuit identity: harvesting of traditional foods (TF) and its redistribution or sharing. 2,3 Like most Indigenous peoples in North America, 4-6 Inuvialuit face extreme pressure to acculturate to Western values, including transitioning to a Western diet. 7,8 Traditional foods, defined as those harvested from the local environment, include animals obtained directly from the land or sea, which contributed largely to dietary intake and were vital to nutrition, health, and food security. However, drastic climate changes pose environmental stress on those animals (e.g., polar bear, seal and caribou) that are TF sources. 9,10 Foods that replace TF are mainly processed, high in sugar and fat, and much less nutrient-dense. This shift in diet has resulted in a decreased intake of many micronutrients 11-14 and is associated with increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic disease in Indigenous peoples in the Arctic. 15,16 Prevalence of diabetes in Indigenous North Americans is 3-5 times that of the general population in Canada. 17 The prevalence of risk factors of diabetes, such as overweight and obesity, is higher among the Canadian Aboriginal population compared to the general population. 18,19 Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop a nutritional intervention program to improve dietary intake for chronic disease prevention. Despite the known effectiveness of risk reduction interventions for obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases, 20 few nutritional intervention programs for Inuvialuit have been successful. Furthermore, there is little up-to-date data on Inuvialuit diet, particularly the diet during transition to a Western diet. The aims of this study were to: 1) characterize diet in Inuvialuit; 2) highlight foods and nutrients for a community-based multiinstitutional nutritional and lifestyle intervention program; and 3) develop a Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (QFFQ) to evaluate the program and monitor nutrition transition in Inuvialuit.