Dietary Choices in Aklavik
Northwest Territories (NT) Canada
Youth & Elders Promoting Change
Archie B, Buckle A, Koe B, Semple A, Illasiak V, Arey K, Arey S 
Heron-Herbert S, Chatwood S, Clarke A 
I. Why look at Dietary Choices
in Aklavik, NT?
The community of Aklavik initiated a dietary choices project after the
hamlet’s Health Committee identified nutrition as a health
priority. The combined observations around chronic disease,
transition to a more sedentary lifestyle, changes in diet and
increasing rates of obesity created concerns at the community level.
There was a strong desire for youth and Elders to be involved in the
project; youth for investment in the future and Elders for the
guidance and knowledge that they offer. Moose Kerr School was
selected as the location for the project so youth could be engaged in
a sustainable way.
Objectives
•  outh will explore issues around dietary choices in the
Y
community through informal food records, market survey and ac-
cess to traditional foods.
• Youth will collect information on peoples perceptions about the
dietary choices as a basis for the creation of future health
promotion messages
II. What Happened?
An exploratory project ran from May-June 2007 based out of Moose
Kerr School with four senior students taking the lead in the project’s
development.
The students were informed about the project’s focus and in the first
few days discussed as a group such topics as what it means to eat
healthily, chronic diseases, and traditional foods. The students then
brainstormed about possible research activities they might like to
participate in. An informal food record (daily log of food and drink
consumed) was the first activity planned.
A total of eight senior students participated in the informal food re-
cord for ten days. After the ten days, the students were given a series
of questions to reflect on their eating habits.
Two Elders (grandmothers to two of the students) also participated in
the informal food record.
The senior students then visited the kindergarten/grade one class,
paired off with the younger students and conducted an informal di-
etary recall with each. This gave the senior students the opportunity
to talk to the younger students about dietary choices.
The informal food record and daily classroom discussions gave the
students a better understanding of their own eating habits and the op-
portunity to critically think about the importance of the topic. It also
set the groundwork for the students to want to create a video to illus-
trate other community members’ perceptions about dietary choices.
The students had access to electronic equipment including a video
camera, digital camera and laptop computer. They proceeded to in-
terview community members such as Elders, youth, and more specif-
ically the Northern Store Manager, Nurse in Charge, Preschool Direc-
tor and Principal. They also attended events and visited people and
workplaces that they might otherwise not have gone to.
“ I learned that it’s important to
eat traditional foods and important
for children to learn that.
Also, to respect Elders… “
Student
Aklavik, NT
Yellowknife, NT
III. What Has Been Learned ?
After looking at their informal food records, the stu-
dents summarized that:
“ Most of the Elders food comes from the meat and
breads food group, they seem to eat a lot of traditional
food. We are consuming more pop and juice. The one
thing that the students and the Elders have in common
is that both groups consume very little dairy and very
little fruit and vegetables.”
Sample Interview Questions
(Originating from Student Interviewer)
To Community Member
• What did you have to eat today?
• Have you had any traditional foods lately?
To Elders
• What do you eat when you’re out on the land?
• What’s your daily eating in Aklavik like?
• Do you still go hunting? Is there any change in animals?
• Is there anything you want to say to young people?
To Northern Store Manager
•  ow often do you stock up on pop? Fruits and vegetables?
H
• So, if you had to, how would you promote health and diet?
To A Teacher
• What is the school’s breakfast program? So, why did it stop?
To Nurse in Charge
• How is the Health Centre promoting health in Aklavik?
• Is obesity a common thing in Aklavik?
• Where do you come from? [Answer: England]
• What is their diet like in England?
Students also made the following
observations about their daily eating
• I eat too much junk. Not enough water. Don’t eat breakfast
every morning. Not so healthy food
• I eat healthy, [but] I rarely eat, always out and active, and coffee is bad
• Almost the same [food] everyday
• [I drink] lots of water [and eat] traditional food
The video is still a work in progress, but the students are extremely
engaged in the project, working on it outside of the classroom and
throughout the summer up until the present day. Although the
students are creating the film, the content has been community-
driven and focused; the community has been very receptive
of the students work.
The Aklavik Nurse in Charge has also reported that several
community members have since made appointments at the Health
Centre to specifically discuss their eating habits, which is
rarely done.
IV. Just the Beginning…
•  tudents feel that the project has been “killer” (great), especially
S
being able to use video equipment as a means to collect informa-
tion and disseminate that knowledge into the community. Their
efforts have been a first step to raising awareness and gaining an
understanding about dietary choices in Aklavik.
• Students are also planning to include other interests and health
priorities into the project as it unfolds. Other concerns that have
been mentioned by the community include alcohol consumption
and the safety of drinking water.
“ It’s about helping people
to help themselves “ Elder
Funding and Support
Susie Husky Health Centre, Aklavik NT; Moose Kerr School,
Aklavik NT; Anisnawbe Kekendazone; Arctic Health Research Net-
work; CIHR Team in Circumpolar Chronic Disease Prevention; Uni-
versity of Toronto, Department of Public Health; Government of the
Northwest Territories, Department of Health and Social Services.