Exploring the connection between salmon and well-being to strengthen a food system intervention in western Alaska

Abstract

Effective interventions aimed at changing dietary behaviors in indigenous communities can benefit from understanding local perceptions and values connected to culturally important foods. Formative research in collaboration with community members to explore these perceptions is a necessary step in the process of designing effective interventions, yet few studies elaborate on the details of this process. Research conducted in a remote Yup'ik community in Western Alaska explored the connection between salmon and well-being to strengthen a food system intervention. Qualitative data were collected, collaboratively reviewed with a community work group, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Nine major themes emerged from the analysis to represent aspects of well-being supported by salmon. Ongoing collaboration between academic and community partners informed the development of the final intervention design using the formative research findings. The development of this process to incorporate local meanings of a culturally important food into a food system intervention elucidates one way a community-academic partnership can strengthen food system interventions in indigenous communities.