Dietary intake and body mass index of adults in 2 Ojibwe communities

Objective To describe and compare dietary intake and prevalence of overweig ht in a sample of adults in 2 Ojibwe communities in Mille Lacs, Minn, and L ac Court Oreilles, Wis. Design Cross-sectional survey based on interviews that included a 24-hour r ecall, food frequency questionnaire, and a sociocultural questionnaire. Subjects/setting One hundred four adult Band (tribe) members were selected randomly from current housing lists; pregnant and lactating women were excl uded. Statistical analyses performed Nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum tests were u sed to determine differences in absolute nutrient intakes where normality c ould not be assumed. Two-tailed t tests were conducted to test for differen ces between nutrient densities. A significance level of alpha=.05 was used; procedurewise adjustments were made using the Bonferroni method when adjus ting for multiple comparisons. Results The importance of the traditional food system was evident: at least 50% of respondents engaged in hunting and fishing practices. Prevalence of overweight was 47%. Mean nutrient intakes were below the Recommended Dieta ry Allowance for women for vitamin A, folate, calcium. iron, and zinc and f or men for vitamin A and calcium, despite energy intakes that met the Recom mended Dietary Allowance. Nutrient densities were lower than those in the t hird National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for women for carbohy drate,vitamin C, folate, calcium, and dietary fiber and for men for folate and dietary fiber. Fat contributed 37% (for men) and 40% (for women) of ene rgy intake. Applications/conclusions Areas of focus for culturally relevant education p rograms leg, promotion of traditional foods that provide nutrients of low i ntake status and low-fat traditional food preparation methods) and research needs are suggested to reduce risks for nutrition-related chronic disease among Native Americans.