Neqkiuryaraq - The Art of Preparing Food

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ABSTRACT The Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) Delta of Alaska is home to 58 Alaska Native Tribes who experience a life expectancy 10 years less than the U.S. average. Disparities in diet-related diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes contribute to this decreased life expectancy; structural issues underlie these diet-related health disparities. Although the region is culturally tied to healthy Native foods, a traditional lifestyle has become more difficult. Food retailers stock unhealthy, shelf-stable food, while perishable foods, like produce, are scarce and unaffordable. Food insecurity results in hunger, poor diet quality, and health disparities. This project, Neqkiuryaraq or The Art of Preparing Food, is a food system structural intervention for the YK Delta. Through multi-sectoral partnerships, community-engaged approaches, and traditional knowledge, we will localize the food system and improve access to nutritious foods. Structural interventions will promote the harvesting and distribution of traditional foods and healthy market foods, like produce, to communities experiencing food insecurity. Improved access to nutritious, culturally acceptable foods will bolster food security, reduce hunger, and improve health. We will assess these effects by measuring participant food security, diet quality, and clinical parameters such as blood pressure and blood sugar. Improved nutrition will protect people against chronic health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Building a local food system that integrates traditional knowledge, promotes healthy and culturally acceptable foods, and employs community members will move the YK Delta towards food sovereignty and provide an exemplar for other rural communities facing food insecurity.