Nutritional problems of native canadian mothers and children.

Nutritional deficiencies are still all too common in Native Canadian women and children. Protein-calorie malnutrition is rare, although the 1972 Nutrition Canada Survey found low intakes of these nutrients in many pregnant Native women, especially among the Inuit, who still have a high (8%) incidence of low-birth-weight infants. Clinically, we still see a great deal of iron deficiency and, although it is less common, of vitamin D-deficiency rickets in infants and toddlers. Breastfeeding rates are 50% or less at six months, and prolonged use of the nursing bottle contributes to iron deficiency and dental caries. Fluoride is not present in the water supply of most Native communities and must be given to combat dental caries, which is rampant in some areas. In adolescents we begin to see signs of overnutrition, with noticeable obesity that is highly prevalent in adults. The ultimate solution to these problems is improved economic circumstances and education. In the meantime, however, physicians treating Native patients must become familiar with the local circumstances.