The health of Inuit children under age 6 in Canada

Findlay, Leanne; Janz, Teresa

doi:10.3402/ijch.v71i0.18580

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Although it has been documented that postnatal exposures to POPs from breast milk could be a potential health concern for the developing child (Boucher et al, 2012a), many studies have highlighted the very positive effects of breastfeeding which likely outweigh the risks. For example, an assessment from the 2006 Aboriginal Children's Survey has identified breastfeeding as a social determinant of health for Inuit children under age 6 in Canada (Findlay and Janz, 2012). Moreover, Canadian Inuit children who are breastfed may be at lower risk of hospitalization due to respiratory tract infection (Banerji et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Assessing determinants of maternal blood concentrations for persistent organic pollutants and metals in the eastern and western Canadian Arctic

Curren

Liang

Davis

et al. 2015

Science of The Total Environment

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Aboriginal peoples in the Canadian Arctic are exposed to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals mainly through their consumption of a traditional diet of wildlife items. Recent studies indicate that many human chemical levels have decreased in the north, likely due to a combination of reduced global chemical emissions, dietary shifts, and risk mitigation efforts by local health authorities. Body burdens for chemicals in mothers can be further offset by breastfeeding, parity, and other maternal characteristics. We have assessed the impact of several dietary and maternal covariates following a decade of awareness of the contaminant issue in northern Canada, by performing multiple stepwise linear regression analyses from blood concentrations and demographic variables for 176 mothers recruited from Nunavut and the Northwest Territories during the period 2005-2007. A significant aboriginal group effect was observed for the modeled chemicals, except for lead and cadmium, after adjusting for covariates. Further, blood concentrations for POPs and metals were significantly associated with at least one covariate of older age, fewer months spent breastfeeding, more frequent eating of traditional foods, or smoking during pregnancy. Cadmium had the highest explained variance (72.5%) from just two significant covariates (current smoking status and parity). Although Inuit participants from the Northwest Territories consumed more traditional foods in general, Inuit participants from coastal communities in Nunavut continued to demonstrate higher adjusted blood concentrations for POPs and metals examined here. While this is due in part to a higher prevalence of marine mammals in the eastern Arctic diet, it is possible that other aboriginal group effects unrelated to diet may also contribute to elevated chemical body burdens in Canadian Arctic populations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Assessing determinants of maternal blood concentrations for persistent organic pollutants and metals in the eastern and western Canadian Arctic

Curren

Liang

Davis

et al. 2015

Science of The Total Environment

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“…Previous reports based on ACS data have revealed that the rate of reported hunger is 23% among Inuit children, 3% among Métis children, and 5% among off-reserve First Nation children younger than 6 years old [28,29]. This compares to 1% of all children from the NLSCY sample, suggesting that reported hunger is higher among Aboriginal children than Canadian children in general.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Hunger Among Inuit Métis Off-reserve First Nmentioning

confidence: 94%

Social Networks as a Coping Strategy for Food Insecurity and Hunger for Young Aboriginal and Canadian Children

2014

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Traditional foods and food sharing are important components of Aboriginal culture, helping to create, maintain, and reinforce social bonds. However, limitations in food access and availability may have contributed to food insecurity among Aboriginal people. The present article takes a closer examination of coping strategies among food insecure households in urban and rural settings in Canada. This includes a comparative analysis of the role of social networks, institutional resources, and diet modifications as strategies to compensate for parent-reported child hunger using national sources of data including the Aboriginal Children's Survey and the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Descriptive statistical analyses revealed that a majority of food insecure urban and rural Inuit, Métis, and off-reserve First Nations children and rural Canadian children coped with hunger through social support, while a majority of urban food insecure Canadian children coped with hunger through a reduction in food consumption. Seeking institutional assistance was not a common means of dealing with child hunger, though there were significant urban-rural differences. Food sharing practices, in particular, may be a sustainable reported mechanism for coping with hunger as such practices tend to be rooted in cultural and social customs among Aboriginal and rural populations.

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“…Asthma and allergies are among the most common chronic conditions reported by parents/guardians of indigenous children under the age of 6 years [ 14 , 15 ]. Chang et al found that children and adults with Inuit ancestry, but living outside Nunavut and off the First Nations reserves in other provinces, had a significantly lower prevalence of asthma and allergies compared to children from other indigenous groups [ 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergies among the Grade-1 children of Iqaluit

Ahmed

Hakim

Becker

2018

Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol

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BackgroundLittle is known about the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema and allergies among Canadian Inuit children, especially those living in the arctic and subarctic areas.MethodsA cross-sectional study among Grade 1 students attending schools in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, was conducted during the 2015/2016 school year. We used the International Study of Allergy and Asthma in Children questionnaire with added questions relevant to the population. In addition, skin prick tests were conducted to test for sensitization to common food and environmental allergens.ResultsThe prevalence of current asthma was 15.9% (> 2:1 males) with the highest prevalence among those with any non-Inuit heritage at 38.5%. The prevalence of current and past allergic rhinitis was 6.8%, also predominant among males, with the lowest prevalence among the mixed ethnicity. Home crowdedness was inversely related to past asthma. Being ever outside Nunavut was associated with higher prevalence of current and past asthma. No statistically significant relationship was found with passive smoking or exclusive breast feeding during the first 4 months of life. The current eczema prevalence was 20.5%, with the highest prevalence recorded among the Inuit at 25% compared to 15.4% among the mixed ethnicity and 14.3% among the non-Inuit. We noted a high rate of sensitization to cat at 26.7% while absent sensitization to other common inhalant allergens.ConclusionVariations in the prevalence and risk factors of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema among different ethnicities living at the same subarctic environment may be related to genetic, gene-environment interaction and/or lifestyle factors that require further investigation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13223-018-0232-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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The health of Inuit children under age 6 in Canada

Cited by 10 publications

References 24 publications

Assessing determinants of maternal blood concentrations for persistent organic pollutants and metals in the eastern and western Canadian Arctic

Assessing determinants of maternal blood concentrations for persistent organic pollutants and metals in the eastern and western Canadian Arctic

Social Networks as a Coping Strategy for Food Insecurity and Hunger for Young Aboriginal and Canadian Children

Evaluation of eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergies among the Grade-1 children of Iqaluit

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