Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Background: Food insecurity is high in the Canadian Arctic, and related to poor nutrient status among adult Inuit. Food safety issues such as exposure to the environmental contaminants mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) is another concern but the relation between food security and contaminant exposure is unknown. Objective: To study the relationship between exposure to Hg and Pb and food security status among Canadian Inuit adults. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2 595 Inuit adults from 36 communities from Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Nunavut and Nunatsiavut. Data on household composition, traditional food harvesting and consumption, socio-economic indicators was collected. Food security was assessed using the 18-item USDA questionnaire. Blood Hg (B-Hg) and Pb (B-Pb) levels were measured. ANOVA and multiple regressions were used to explore the relations between exposures and food security. Results: B-Hg and B-Pb were higher in participants living in food insecure households and answering positively to the question "In the last 12 months, were there times when the food for you and your family just did not last, and there was no money to buy more?". When controlling for age, sex, smoking, drinking, country food preference and the presence of an active hunter, there was a positive association between B-Hg and B-Pb and increasing household food insecurity. Discussion: As food insecurity, poor nutrient status and exposure to contaminants are public health concerns in the Canadian Inuit, there is a need to understand the interdependent dynamics behind these issues in order to promote food security and safety.