A Scoping Review of the Use of Indigenous Food Sovereignty Principles for Intervention and Future Directions

Abstract

Indigenous food sovereignty (IFS) represents a community led movement with potential to reduce health inequities, but no scoping review of the impact of taking an IFS approach on intervention research has been conducted. This review sought to (1) describe intervention studies that employ IFS principles and (2) describe the impact of studies using IFS principles on food access, eating patterns, diet quality, physical activity and health. Through a literature review, four IFS principles were identified: (1) community ownership, (2) inclusion of traditional food knowledge, (3) inclusion and promotion of cultural foods, and (4) environmental/intervention sustainability. 20 intervention studies published between 1/1/2000-2/5/2020 were included. Most of the studies that scored high in IFS principles saw a positive impact on diet. This review found evidence supporting the value of IFS principles in the development, implementation and evaluation of health interventions for Indigenous communities.

BMI Status and Trends among Native American Family Members Participating in the Growing Resilience Home Garden Study

“…In conclusion, no matter what approach is used to assess nutritional health status in WRIR or any other Native American community, results tend to illustrate the impacts of over 400 y of colonization strategies—including war and massacres, bison slaughter, boarding schools, and internment in reservations—designed to decimate traditional food ways and yielding enormous health disparities between Indigenous and White communities in the United States ( 1 , 6 , 15 , 17–23 ). This study adds to the evidence of the ethical imperative and practical need to make significant investments to deepen and expand the wealth of Indigenous-led health, food, and nutrition actions for reclaiming foodways, health, and sovereignty ( 18 , 19 , 24–28 ). The Growing Resilience action-research project aims to help support the health and food sovereignty of WRIR communities by providing families with information for monitoring their individual health and by supporting families in improving their health by growing home food gardens.…”

Design and Methods of a Participatory Healthy Eating Intervention for Indigenous Children: The FRESH Study

“…A recent systematic review of the application of Indigenous food sovereignty principles to intervention research found that studies that scored higher in food sovereignty principles were more likely to show impact on dietary quality ( 71 ). According to the scoring mechanism provided by this review, our intervention scored high in all four principles of Indigenous food sovereignty (Community Ownership, Inclusion of Cultural Food Knowledge, Inclusion of Traditional Foods, and Environmental Sustainability of Intervention).…”

Food environments and gut microbiome health: availability of healthy foods, alcohol, and tobacco in a rural Oklahoma tribal community

“…Despite persistent health disparities, intervention research centered on improving food security and access in Native American communities remains limited but critically important [103]. Significantly, interventions that adopt principles of Indigenous food sovereignty, including community-engaged methods and inclusion of traditional knowledge and foods, have proven effective in promoting dietary change [104]. For example, interventions to increase fresh food selection and purchases in tribal stores have shown promise and should be more widely implemented in other tribal communities [103,105,106].…”