study setting : maliseet first nation community on the banks of the saint john river (new brunswick).in an attempt to ascertain the health status of a cohort of elementary school children a determinant of health study was undertaken from october 2004 to june 2005. it was hoped that by knowing the current health status of the children it would provide a lens for the researcher to assess the potential future development of chronic diseases of this group. under the premise that the development of healthy lifestyle practices early in childhood decreases the risk of future development of chronic diseases, the primary purpose of this study was to measure the health status of this cohort of elementary school children, to determine the prevalence of risk factors associated with the future development of chronic diseases.