title: Food insecurity and nutritional biomarkers in relation to stature in Inuit children from Nunavik.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Inuit in Canada experience alarming levels of food insecurity, but nutritional and physiological consequences are poorly documented, especially in school-age children. The objective of this study was to assess the relation of food insecurity to iron deficiency and stature in school-aged Inuit children from Nunavik (Northern Quebec).
  
  
  METHODS
  Food insecurity, iron deficiency, and stature were assessed in a cohort of children. Food insecurity was determined by interviewing the children's mothers. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of food insecurity to iron deficiency and short stature. We defined short stature as a height in the lowest tertile for age and sex, based on Canadian growth charts. The relation of food insecurity to height (cm) was analyzed with a general linear model. Statistical models controlled for age, sex, normal/overweight/obese status, prenatal lead exposure and postnatal polychlorinated biphenyls exposure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Half of the children (49.7%, n=145) were food insecure, while one third were iron depleted, 12.6% had anaemia, and 8.7% had iron-deficiency anaemia. The multivariate odds ratio of anaemia was 1.82 (95% CI: 0.97, 3.42, p=0.06) for food-insecure children. Prevalence of short stature was 18.7%. Food-insecure children were an average of 2 cm shorter (95% CI: -0.48, -3.17) than food-secure children (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this population, food-insecure children have greater burdens of nutritional deficiencies and slower linear growth. Considering the high prevalence of food insecurity among Inuit children in Nunavik, nutritional deficiencies and adverse effects on development should be carefully monitored.
authors.affiliation: Université Laval. catherinepirkle@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Pirkle
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Renée
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dallaire
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ayotte
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: Sandra W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dewailly
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Muckle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D004930:Inuit / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009752:Nutritional Status
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D007501:Iron
keywords: Food insecurity; children; growth; indigenous health; iron; nutritional deficiencies