OTTAWA - The poor eating habits of young aboriginal women could be a driving force behind the difference in obesity rates between Canada's aboriginal and non-aboriginal population, according to a report released Wednesday by Statistics Canada.

The study found that in Ontario and the western provinces, the prevalence of overweight and obese people aged 19 to 50 was much higher among aboriginal people than among non-aboriginal people.

But, it was the numbers for women that were especially noteworthy: Two-thirds, or 67 per cent, of aboriginal women in the study were considered overweight, compared to 55 per cent of non-aboriginal women. Among those who were overweight, 41 per cent were deemed obese, compared to 18 per cent of non-aboriginal women.

The study used data from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey and compared aboriginals living off-reserve, aged 19 to 50, with the non-aboriginal population in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

When the researchers controlled for factors like education and household income, aboriginal identity emerged as being related to obesity and being overweight. And, in fact, the odds of obesity were more than two-and-a-half times greater for aboriginal people.
 

The report revealed at least one basic reason behind the difference. Aboriginal women simply consumed more calories than
non-aboriginal women - an average of 359 more per day. And, many of those calories were not coming from fruits and vegetables or other healthy foods.

The data showed, for example, that aboriginal women consumed about three times as many non-diet soft drinks a day as non-aboriginal women. Aboriginal women were also getting a greater share of their caloric intake from the "sandwich" category of foods, a category that includes sandwiches, submarines, pizza, hamburgers and hot dogs.

The eating habits analysis also determined that aboriginal women were more likely than non-aboriginal women to satisfy their hunger pangs by snacking between meals. At ages 19 to 30, aboriginal women got 36 per cent of their daily calories from snacks, compared to 28 per cent of non-aboriginal women. A similar pattern was observed for women aged 31 to 50.

Young aboriginal women were deriving a lot of their excess calories from foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt, the study said, and were also consuming more carbohydrates than non-aboriginal women. What they weren't eating as much of, compared to non-aboriginal women, were foods high in protein and fiber, which are linked to lower levels of obesity.

The bottom line is that aboriginal women, like many Canadians, weren't following Canada's Food Guide and getting the recommended daily intake of the four major food groups, the study found.

The eating habits analysis was based on 6,224 survey participants who listed all the foods and drinks they had consumed the previous day. The weight analysis was based on 3,544 respondents for whom weight and height data had been collected and their body mass index was then calculated. The report points out that using the BMI to define being overweight or obese can be problematic and has limitations.

The study concludes that aboriginal women, specifically those aged 19 to 30, contributed most to the overall differences in weight and obesity between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal populations.

"Despite identical energy needs, they consumed more calories than did non-Aboriginal women, mainly foods not belonging to one of the four food groups in the Food Guide," said the report.

Statistics Canada suggests that further study may be needed to see if dietary recommendations for the whole population should be adjusted for aboriginal people, given the eating habits observed in this study.

In the most recent makeover of Canada's Food Guide in 2007, Health Canada developed a guide specifically for Canada's aboriginal peoples. The guide recognizes that aboriginal people, whether living on or off reserves, make different food choices than non-aboriginal Canadians and have their own traditional cuisine.