(P26-009-23) Multidisciplinary Collaboration for Development of Culturally Appropriate Local, Traditional Indigenous Dietary Intervention

Objectives: Dietary intervention trials are resource-intensive, requiring great amounts of labor and financial input to run successfully. In the context of limited- and decreasing- funding available for developing and conducting feeding studies, it has become even more important to ensure efficient and effective resource management beginning with intervention development. To plan an upcoming dietary intervention study to be conducted in a population of Indigenous adults, the USDA-ARS Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center (GFHNRC) will employ a multidisciplinary approach to develop a culturally appropriate and evidence-based diet. The objective of this abstract is to share the methods the GFHNRC is employing to develop a culturally appropriate and historically accurate dietary intervention.

Methods: Beginning approximately 8 months before the start of the clinical trial, we gathered a diverse team of experts to inform our dietary intervention. A historian from the University of North Dakota will research and develop a list of foods, ingredients, and recipes commonly used and consumed by Indigenous people in the Northern Great Plains area prior to the Indian Appropriations Act in 1851, which established reservations and destroyed local, traditional Indigenous food systems. Nutrition scientists and research dietitians at the GFHNRC will collaborate with representatives from the United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) in Bismarck, ND to build a nutrient-dense menu from these foods and beverages, which will be based on the nutrient composition of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Healthy U.S.-Style Dietary Pattern. Sourcing of ingredients will also be a joint effort between the USDA and UTTC. Proper techniques for preparing recipes will be shared with the GFHNRC Dietary Core staff members by Indigenous leaders.

Results: We anticipate that this multidisciplinary team approach will allow us to build a dietary intervention that is both culturally informed and culturally sensitive as well as based in the latest evidence-based nutrition guidance in the U.S.

Conclusions: Utilizing a multidisciplinary team to carefully develop a dietary intervention in advance of a clinical trial will allow us to most effectively use our resources and to develop a culturally appropriate diet.

Funding Sources: USDA Agricultural Research Service project grant