Challenges in health service delivery in circumpolar countries include rapid turnover of professi... more Challenges in health service delivery in circumpolar countries include rapid turnover of professional personnel, maintaining quality care, and development of appropriate structure of the health care system. Recruitment and retention of personnel dedicated to indigenous health care and work in small communities is an ongoing issue. Strategies such as decentralized education, student programs, financial incentives, cross-cultural training, consultant networks, and community initiatives have all been applied to varying degrees. As the problem is similar across circumpolar countries, this roundtable will be an opportunity to explore new incentives and approaches to recruitment and retention from several countries.
In a random sample of 264 indigenous Greenlanders, behavioral and biochemical risk factors for ca... more In a random sample of 264 indigenous Greenlanders, behavioral and biochemical risk factors for cardiovascular disease were compared between the capital, Nuuk, and the rest of the country ("the Coast") while the whole sample was compared with Denmark. In Nuuk consumption of marine food averaged 23 meals per month, compared with 38 on the Coast. N6/N3 ratio was higher in Nuuk but HDL concentrations were similar. There were fewer current smokers in Nuuk, but the prevalence of hypertension and mortality from ischemic heart disease (IHD) were similar. IHD mortality is lower in Greenland than in Denmark (352 and 434 per 100,000). This is in agreement with the dietary differences, and with the low N6/N3 ratio and the high HDL concentration in Greenland, but opposed to a high proportion of smokers and a high prevalence of hypertension in Greenland compared with Denmark. IHD mortality is apparently decreasing in Greenland concurrently with a Westernization of the lifestyle. This paradox may be due to the fact that societal changes are recent, and the situation may change in the future.
Like other populations, the Arctic population has to deal with the fact that specialized informat... more Like other populations, the Arctic population has to deal with the fact that specialized information made available to them through environmental and medical research is often difficult to grasp. Not only are the data complicated, they are also often misconstrued through media distortion. Communication is more than just information. Experience with communication gained during a 1990s international autopsy study in Greenland will be presented. The study looked at the possible protective effect against atherosclerosis due to the special fatty acid composition in the traditional food and also the effect of exposure of the local people to heavy metal and organochlorine. "When I eat traditional food, I know who I am" (Inuk).
Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Mar 1, 2003
Studies of blood pressure among various Inuit (Eskimo) populations in the Arctic have given incon... more Studies of blood pressure among various Inuit (Eskimo) populations in the Arctic have given inconsistent results. Most studies reported lower blood pressure among the Inuit as compared with the predominantly white national populations. This has been attributed to traditional subsistence practices and lifestyle. This study compared the blood pressure among the major Inuit population groups with other populations and examined the associations with factors like age, gender, obesity and smoking. The study comprised four Inuit populations from Alaska, Canada, and Greenland with participation rates ranging from 51% to 73%. In a cross-sectional design, 2,509 randomly selected adults from 31 villages were examined. Blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, smoking, and medication were recorded. Mean systolic blood pressures ranged from 116 to 124 mm Hg among men and 110 to 118 among women in the four populations. Mean diastolic blood pressures ranged from 75 to 78 mm Hg among men and from 71 to 73 among women. Systolic blood pressure increased with age. Male gender, obesity, being a non-smoker, and being on anti-hypertensive treatment were associated with high systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, and anti-hypertensive treatment, blood pressure differed among the populations (p </= 0.001). Mean systolic blood pressure was low among the Inuit compared with most European populations of the INTERSALT study, but higher than in several Asian populations and the Amazonian Indians. Inuit blood pressures rank intermediate on a global scale but low in comparison with most European populations. The Inuit population is not homogeneous, and this is reflected in blood pressure differences among the four regional subgroups. The role of the traditional diet, a rural lifestyle with a low level of psychosocial stress, and genetics must be further explored.
Challenges in health service delivery in circumpolar countries include rapid turnover of professi... more Challenges in health service delivery in circumpolar countries include rapid turnover of professional personnel, maintaining quality care, and development of appropriate structure of the health care system. Recruitment and retention of personnel dedicated to indigenous health care and work in small communities is an ongoing issue. Strategies such as decentralized education, student programs, financial incentives, cross-cultural training, consultant networks, and community initiatives have all been applied to varying degrees. As the problem is similar across circumpolar countries, this roundtable will be an opportunity to explore new incentives and approaches to recruitment and retention from several countries.
In a random sample of 264 indigenous Greenlanders, behavioral and biochemical risk factors for ca... more In a random sample of 264 indigenous Greenlanders, behavioral and biochemical risk factors for cardiovascular disease were compared between the capital, Nuuk, and the rest of the country ("the Coast") while the whole sample was compared with Denmark. In Nuuk consumption of marine food averaged 23 meals per month, compared with 38 on the Coast. N6/N3 ratio was higher in Nuuk but HDL concentrations were similar. There were fewer current smokers in Nuuk, but the prevalence of hypertension and mortality from ischemic heart disease (IHD) were similar. IHD mortality is lower in Greenland than in Denmark (352 and 434 per 100,000). This is in agreement with the dietary differences, and with the low N6/N3 ratio and the high HDL concentration in Greenland, but opposed to a high proportion of smokers and a high prevalence of hypertension in Greenland compared with Denmark. IHD mortality is apparently decreasing in Greenland concurrently with a Westernization of the lifestyle. This paradox may be due to the fact that societal changes are recent, and the situation may change in the future.
Like other populations, the Arctic population has to deal with the fact that specialized informat... more Like other populations, the Arctic population has to deal with the fact that specialized information made available to them through environmental and medical research is often difficult to grasp. Not only are the data complicated, they are also often misconstrued through media distortion. Communication is more than just information. Experience with communication gained during a 1990s international autopsy study in Greenland will be presented. The study looked at the possible protective effect against atherosclerosis due to the special fatty acid composition in the traditional food and also the effect of exposure of the local people to heavy metal and organochlorine. "When I eat traditional food, I know who I am" (Inuk).
Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Mar 1, 2003
Studies of blood pressure among various Inuit (Eskimo) populations in the Arctic have given incon... more Studies of blood pressure among various Inuit (Eskimo) populations in the Arctic have given inconsistent results. Most studies reported lower blood pressure among the Inuit as compared with the predominantly white national populations. This has been attributed to traditional subsistence practices and lifestyle. This study compared the blood pressure among the major Inuit population groups with other populations and examined the associations with factors like age, gender, obesity and smoking. The study comprised four Inuit populations from Alaska, Canada, and Greenland with participation rates ranging from 51% to 73%. In a cross-sectional design, 2,509 randomly selected adults from 31 villages were examined. Blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, smoking, and medication were recorded. Mean systolic blood pressures ranged from 116 to 124 mm Hg among men and 110 to 118 among women in the four populations. Mean diastolic blood pressures ranged from 75 to 78 mm Hg among men and from 71 to 73 among women. Systolic blood pressure increased with age. Male gender, obesity, being a non-smoker, and being on anti-hypertensive treatment were associated with high systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, and anti-hypertensive treatment, blood pressure differed among the populations (p </= 0.001). Mean systolic blood pressure was low among the Inuit compared with most European populations of the INTERSALT study, but higher than in several Asian populations and the Amazonian Indians. Inuit blood pressures rank intermediate on a global scale but low in comparison with most European populations. The Inuit population is not homogeneous, and this is reflected in blood pressure differences among the four regional subgroups. The role of the traditional diet, a rural lifestyle with a low level of psychosocial stress, and genetics must be further explored.
Uploads