High levels of physical activity and obesity co-exist amongst Inuit adults in Arctic Canada

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics

Volumn 23, Issue SUPPL. 1, 2010, Pages 110-114

  Hopping, B N ^a   Erber, E ^a   Mead, E ^a   Roache, C ^b   Sharma, S ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA   (United States)

^b Government of Nunavut   (Canada)

^c UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA   (Canada)

Author keywords

Arctic; Chronic disease; Inuit; Obesity; Physical activity

Indexed keywords

ADULT; AGED; ARTICLE; BODY MASS; CANADA; CHRONIC DISEASE; CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY; DIET; EATING; ESKIMO; ETHNOLOGY; FEEDING BEHAVIOR; FEMALE; HUMAN; LIFESTYLE; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; MOTOR ACTIVITY; OBESITY; PREVALENCE; QUESTIONNAIRE; SELF REPORT; STATISTICS;

ADULT; AGED; AGED, 80 AND OVER; BODY MASS INDEX; CHRONIC DISEASE; CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES; DIET; EATING; FEMALE; FOOD HABITS; HUMANS; INUITS; LIFE STYLE; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; MOTOR ACTIVITY; NUNAVUT; OBESITY; PREVALENCE; QUESTIONNAIRES; SELF REPORT; YOUNG ADULT;

EID: 77956474379     PISSN: 09523871     EISSN: 1365277X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-277X.2010.01096.x     Document Type: Article

References (28)

1. How Much Physical Activity do Adults Need? 2008, http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/adults.html, Available at (accessed on 4 November 2009)
2. Charbonneau-Roberts G, Saudny-Unterberger H, Kuhnlein HV, Egeland GM. Body mass index may overestimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the Inuit. Int. J. Circumpolar Health 2005, 64:163-169.
3. Cancer among the circumpolar Inuit, 1989-2003. Int. J. Circumpolar Health 2008, 67:408-420.
4. Craig CL, Marshall AL, Sjostrom M, Bauman A, Booth ML, Ainsworth BE, Pratt M, Ekelund U, Yngve A, Sallis JF, Oja P. International Physical Activity Questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2003, 35:1381-1395.
5. Deering KN, Lix LM, Bruce S, Young TK. Chronic diseases and risk factors in Canada's northern populations: longitudinal and geographic comparisons. Can. J. Public Health 2009, 100:14-17.
6. Dyck RF, Sheppard MS, Cassidy H, Chad K, Tan L, Van Vliet SH. Preventing NIDDM among Aboriginal people: is exercise the answer? Description of a pilot project using exercise to prevent gestational diabetes. Int. J. Circumpolar Health 1998, 57(Suppl. 1):375-378.
7. Canadian Guidelines for Body Weight Classification in Adults 2008a, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/weights-poids/guide-ld-adult/qa-qr-pub-eng.php, Available at (accessed on 4 November 2009)
8. Diabetes among Aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) People in Canada: The Evidence 2008b, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fniah-spnia/pubs/diseases-maladies/_diabete/2001_evidence_faits/sec_2-eng.php#Diabetes, Available at Among Aboriginal People (accessed on 15 October 2009)
9. Heath GW. Physical activity transitions and chronic disease. Am. J. Lifestyle Med. 2009, 3:27S-31S.
10. Heymsfield SB, Scherzer R, Pietrobelli A, Lewis CE, Grunfeld C. Body mass index as a phenotypic expression of adiposity: quantitative contribution of muscularity in a population-based sample. Int. J. Obes. 2009, 33:1363-1373.
11. Indicators of Well Being- Health-Obesity 2008, http://www4.hrsdc.gc.ca/indicator.jsp?lang=eng&indicatorid=6#MO-REON_1, Available at (accessed on 9 March 2010)
12. Inuit in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2008, http://www.itk.ca/sites/default/files/InuitStatisticalProfile2008_0.pdf, Available at (accessed on 31 October 2009)
13. Guidelines for Data Processing and Analysis of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) - Short and Long Forms 2005, http://www.ipaq.ki.se/scoring.htm, Available at (accessed on 25 July 2009)
14. Jørgensen ME, Glümer C, Bjerregaard P, Gyntelberg F, Jørgensen T, Borch-Johnsen K. Obesity and Central fat pattern among Greenland Inuit and a general population of Denmark (Inter99): Relationship to metabolic risk factors. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord. 2003, 27:1507-1515.
15. Kuhnlein HV, Receveur O, Soueida R, Egeland GM. Arctic indigenous peoples experience the nutrition transition with changing dietary patterns and obesity. J. Nutr. 2004, 134:1447-1453.
16. Lloyd CE, Barnett AH. Physical activity and risk of diabetes. Lancet 2008, 371:5-7.
17. Mokdad AH, Ford ES, Bowman BA, Dietz WH, Vinicor F, Bales VS, Marks JS. Prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and obesity-related health risk factors, 2001. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 2003, 289:76-79.
18. Diabetes 2008a, http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cd-mc/diabetes-diabete/index-eng.php, Available at (accessed on 15 October 2009)
19. Physical Activity for Health: The Evidence 2008b, http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pau-uap/fitness/evidence.html#6, Available at (accessed on 13 December 2009)
20. Physical Activity Guide. How Do I Know if I'm Doing Enough Physical Activity to Stay Healthy? 2008c, http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/pau-uap/paguide/activity_enough.html, Available at (accessed on 4 November 2009)
21. Sarkar J, Lix LM, Bruce S, Young TK. Ethnic and regional differences in prevalence and correlates of chronic diseases and risk factors in northern Canada. Prev. Chronic Dis. 2010, 7:A13.
22. Sharma S. Assessing diet and lifestyle in the Canadian Arctic Inuit and Inuvialuit to inform a nutrition and physical activity intervention programme. J. Hum. Nutr. Diet. 2010, 23(Suppl. 1):5-17.
23. Leisure-time Physical Activity, By Age Group and Gender, Household Population Aged 12 and Over, Canada, Provinces, Territories, Health Regions (June 2005 Boundaries) and Peer Groups, Every 2 years (CANSIM Table 105-0433) 2003, http://www.arcticstat.org/documents/20081002/Table-2008-10-02-22.pdf, Available at (accessed on 9 March 2010)
24. Takano T. Connections with the land Land-skills courses in Igloolik, Nunavut. Ethnography 2005, 64:463-486.
25. Tjepkema M. Adult obesity. Health Rep. 2006, 17:9-25.
26. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic: report of a WHO consultation. World Health Organ. Tech. Rep. Ser. 2000, 894:1-253.
27. Young TK, Reading J, Elias B, O'Neil JD. Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Canada's First Nations: status of an epidemic in progress. Can. Med. Assoc. J. 2000, 163:561-566.
28. Young TK, Bjerregaard P, Dewailly E, Risica PM, Jørgensen ME, Ebbesson SEO. Prevalence of obesity and its metabolic correlates among the circumpolar Inuit in 3 countries. Am. J. Public Health 2007, 97:691-695.