The population of Greenland is diminishing and environmental and social shifts implicate food availability and the health of reproductive age women. There is little knowledge of the grocery store food environment in Greenland. To address this gap and provide baseline information the present study measured food availability in five grocery stores in northern Greenland. As well, 15 interviews were conducted with reproductive age women, three grocery store managers were interviewed and one interview was conducted with a food distribution manager. Results show few fresh fruits and vegetables are available in grocery stores and in some stores no fresh foods are available. In Kullorsuaq, the primary location for this study, the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores score in spring 2016 was (3/30) and the Freedman Grocery Store Survey Score was (11/49). Interview results highlight a need to increase communication within the food system and to tailor food distribution policies to the Arctic context with longer term planning protocols for food distribution. These findings can be used to inform future food store environment research in Greenland and for informing policies that improve healthful food availability in grocery stores in northern Greenland.

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of kinship networks and family relationships on pregnancy dynamics in a settlement in North Greenland. We utilized community-based participatory research framework using ecological systems theory to conduct semistructured interviews with 26 women and 17 men living in Kullorsuaq, Greenland. The extent to which Greenland’s cultural traditions related to naming and adoption practices, intergenerational relationships and communication, educational pursuits, and material resources intersect with pregnancy dynamics in an Arctic Indigenous community is discussed. Results highlight the importance of familial and community connections in pregnancy decision making in Greenlandic culture. Findings suggest that public health programs, health care services, and policies address the involvement of kinship and family networks as well as community level pathways to promote sexual and reproductive health in Greenland.

The reported findings suggest further investigation of sleep, diet and physical activity combined with the measurement of reproductive hormones to determine linkages between lifestyle factors and reproductive health outcomes is needed.