BACKGROUND:

To address changing dietary patterns and declining dietary quality in indigenous communities, there is growing interest in implementing interventions that promote nutrient-dense, culturally important foods.

OBJECTIVES:

To describe formative research and an ongoing collaborative process to design a multilevel nutrition inter vention-Neqa Elicarvigmun or the Fish-to-School (F2S) Program-that reconnects students to their local food system in a remote Yup'ik community in Western Alaska.

METHODS:

Qualitative data that explored the connection between salmon and well-being were collected and collaboratively reviewed with a community work group and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings were used to co-design the nutrition intervention.

LESSONS LEARNED:

Formative research Thndings and ongoing collaboration between academic and community partners informed the Thnal intervention design.

CONCLUSIONS:

Because people's behaviors and interactions with culturally signiThcant foods are embedded in cultural perceptions and local contexts, it is important for nutrition interventions to address local perceptions of these foods.