A picture of food security in Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan, Alaska is home to 13,754 residents and located on an island, presenting unique challenges of access and availability. Limited published research exists regarding traditional foods or food security in Alaska, and primary research on food security in Ketchikan is nonexistent. This study measured food security and analysed related variables in Ketchikan, Alaska using a retrospective cross-sectional study design. A total of 108 participants completed the surveys, all of whom were residents. Chi-square analyses determined significant associations between food security status and variables in the community. The food insecurity rate of the convenience sample was 49.1%. Facilitators of food security included receiving foods from others, culinary literacy, and adequate money to purchase food. Barriers to food security included the expense of food, government assistance ran out, availability of certain foods in the area, and transportation challenges. The study is the first known primary research measuring prevalence of food insecurity in the region and the corresponding factors that act as facilitators or barriers. These data help inform programme development to tackle key findings from a community needs assessment. Future work should include prevalence of food insecurity, and barriers and facilitators, of a representative sample in the region.