Patterns of Food Consumption are Associated with Obesity, Self-Reported Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease in Five American Indian Communities

The relationship between dietary patterns and chronic disease is underexplored in indigenous populations. We assessed diets of 424 American Indian (AI) adults living in 5 rural AI communities. We identified four food patterns. Increased prevalence for cardiovascular disease was highly associated with the consumption of unhealthy snacks and high fat–food patterns (OR 3.6, CI = 1.06, 12.3; and OR 6.0, CI = 1.63, 22.1), respectively. Moreover, the food-consumption pattern appeared to be different by community setting (p <.05). We recommend culturally appropriate community-intervention programs to promote healthy behavior and to prevent diet-related chronic diseases in this high-risk population.