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.
Keywords: American Indians; cardiovascular disease; diabetes; diet.