Determinants of Diet for Urban Aboriginal Youth

Abstract

Overweight and obesity are associated with several life-threating comorbidities, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Obesity is a growing health concern in North America, with some groups experiencing higher levels of obesity than others. One group of particular interest is urban Aboriginal youth because they are a quickly growing population who experience high rates of obesity. Obesity is a complex condition with many contributing factors, diet being one of the primary contributors. In this article, we discuss the findings from an ethnographic study that examined determinants of diet for urban Aboriginal youth. Results revealed two themes: (a) Traditions and Sharing, and (b) The Struggle. The findings with Traditions and Sharing showed that food-sharing networks are often used to acquire traditional food. Traditional foods were believed to be healthy and desired by the participants. The theme The Struggle provides insight into the daily challenges the participants faced with food insecurity. Health promotion professionals need to consider the multiplicity of determinants of diet for urban Aboriginal youth in order to plan and implement culturally appropriate health promotion programs.

Eating in the City: A Review of the Literature on Food Insecurity and Indigenous People Living in Urban Spaces

“…For instance, food may be prioritized over needed medication but not over rent, and people tended to purchase food that was filling rather than nutritious [68]. In Canada, Kerpan et al [71] had similar findings when speaking with urban Indigenous youth, who stated income was the greatest barrier to healthy food purchasing.…”

“…In all three countries, for those Indigenous people operating under budget constraints, healthy foods from supermarkets were often unaffordable [60,61,64,65,68,71]. In the Australian context, Foley [68] found that despite the breadth of choices in the food system, the cost of healthy food remained a barrier for many urban Indigenous households.…”

“…Cuesta-Briand et al [64] in Perth, Australia, noted that many Indigenous health clinic clients had to rely on others for food provisions because of lack of access to a car, no driver's license, or mobility issues. Kerpan et al [71] noted that for youth living in low-income neighborhoods, a lack of a grocery store nearby meant that youth had to either walk or take public transit to supermarkets, or instead purchased fast-food and processed food from local fast-food outlets and convenience stores.…”

“…Definitions of what constituted fast foods were not disclosed in most studies and therefore may vary across studies. Fast foods were eaten because they were considered to be more affordable and accessible than other healthier alternatives [60,61,68,71], or were easier to access in low-income neighbourhoods [71]. Brown et al [62] noted that for Indigenous people moving from reserves to urban centres, the combination of greater availability of fast foods and a faster paced life resulted in less time to cook, which led to the greater consumption of fast food.…”

“…Cidro et al [63] make the argument that food security for Indigenous peoples in urban environments should be addressed through improving Indigenous Food Sovereignty (IFS). Access to traditional foods for Indigenous people in urban contexts promotes health and wellbeing [63,66,68], and is related to cultural learning [63,71]. In some studies, Indigenous people express a strong desire to eat traditional foods [63,66,71,72], including in one Canadian case study, a population of urban youth [71].…”