Gegoo myaajyang gkendmang (Knowing what we eat): Reducing Exposure to Dietary Contaminant Mixtures by Supporting Great Lakes Subsistence Food Programs

About This Grant

ABSTRACT/SUMMARY A key challenge to NIEHS 2025-2030 Research Area of Emphasis #5, is providing equal access to the data and decision-making processes that influence environmental health. This R01 proposal addresses environmental health disparities in Great Lakes Anishinaabe communities, where high rates of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are exacerbated by obesogenic contaminant exposures (e.g., PFAS, BPA, DEHP, TCDD) associated with industrialized food chains. Leveraging 20 years of collaboration with the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan (ITCMI) and their member tribes, we will characterize dietary patterns and quantify contaminants in local and subsistence foods (e.g., wild rice, venison, fish, berries, garden produce). Based on our preliminary data we hypothesize that a 30–50% reduction of chemical exposures relative to standard US diets is achievable by shifting diets towards local and subsistence foods. Using a community-engaged approach, we will develop and test Gegoo myaajyang gkendmang (Knowing what we eat), a regionally tailored mobile app expanding on our existing software from a previous NIEHS project that provides fish consumption advice. The new software will promote exposure reducing diets via recipes, seasonal guides, and personalized recommendations. In a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial (n=300 across ITCMI's 11 tribes), we hypothesize 17.5% environmental health literacy improvement over 12 months along with an increased likelihood of attaining dietary scenarios that are 30-50% less contaminated than conventional scenarios. This scalable intervention will empower rural Great Lakes residents, inform tribal health policy, and reduce cancer/CVD risks.