DOHaD research with populations in transition: a case study of prenatal diet remote recall with Yup’ik Alaskan women

Abstract

Maternal prenatal diet can exert a powerful influence on the health of children when they reach adulthood – an orienting phenomenon in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease research paradigm. Similar to other subsistence-based communities experiencing a rapid nutrition transition, obesity is increasing among Yup’ik Alaskans. Diabetes prevalence, however, remains relatively low and may reflect developmental nutritional processes that have yet to be thoroughly considered. Here we investigate recall of Yup’ik women’s diets during a past pregnancy using a mixed-methods approach as a critical first step in exploring such alternative developmental hypotheses. For certain populations, retrospective dietary reports might be the only source of information on factors relevant to understanding developmental pathways to health and disease. Our analysis identified community-specific factors that will likely improve the accuracy of future retrospective dietary analyses investigating the role of prenatal nutrition in the developmental origins of metabolic disease, especially among Alaska Natives.