Hungry Canadian Inuit children

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From the Canadian Medical Association Journal:

70 percent of Inuit preschoolers live in food insecure homes

Seventy percent of Inuit preschoolers in Nunavut, Canada’s largest territory, live in households where there isn’t enough food, a situation with implications for children’s academic and psychosocial development, found an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) … .

The study, conducted by researchers at McGill University and the Government of Nunavut, looked at 388 Inuit children aged 3-5 years in 16 communities from 2007-2008. The majority of children (68%) lived with their biological or adoptive parents. Twenty-nine percent were obese and 39% were overweight. There was a high prevalence of public housing, income support and crowded homes.

The researchers conducted bilingual, face-to-face interviews which included demographic questionnaires and the USDA 18-item Household Food Security Survey module. Questions included “In the last 12 months, did your children ever not eat for a whole day because there wasn’t enough money for food?” and “in the last 12 months, were the children ever hungry but you just couldn’t afford more food?”

“Food insecurity is all too prevalent in homes with Inuit preschoolers in Canadian Artic communities,” write Dr. Grace Egeland and coauthors. “The data suggest that support systems need to be strengthened for Inuit families with young children.”

See also here.

Britain: SEVERE CHILD POVERTY ON THE RISE UNDER LABOUR: here.

Child poverty in Britain was rocketing even before the recession, new research has shown: here.

The number of children living in poverty in Scotland has risen for the first time in over a decade, official statistics have revealed: here.

Around two million pensioners in Britain are living in poverty according to official figures released on Wednesday, which prompted calls for ministers to take urgent action: here.

An advocate for Canada’s Aboriginal women chides the government for neglecting a marginalized population. Aboriginal women account for 33 percent of federally-sentenced female offenders in the country: here.

Federal apology for forced relocation of Inuit: here.

Linguist on mission to save Inuit ‘fossil language’ disappearing with the ice: here.

Women’s throat-singing preserves traditional Inuit culture: here.