International Journal of Circumpolar Health最新文献

Frequent sauna bathing has been associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and proposed as a mediator for improved health. Therefore, the aim was to describe and compare sauna bathers with non-sauna bathers in northern Sweden based on their demographics, health and life attitudes, and to describe sauna bathers' sauna habits. Questions on sauna bathing habits were included in the questionnaire for the participants in the Northern Sweden MONICA (multinational monitoring of trends and determinants in cardiovascular disease) study, conducted during spring of 2022, inviting adults 25-74 years living in the two northernmost counties of Sweden (Norr- and Västerbotten), randomly selected from the population register. Of the 1180 participants in MONICA 2022, 971 (82%) answered the question about sauna bathing. Of these, 641 (66%) were defined as sauna bathers. Sauna bathers reported less hypertension diagnosis and self-reported pain. They also reported higher levels of happiness and energy, more satisfying sleep patterns, as well as better general and mental health. Sauna bathers were younger, more often men and found to have a healthier life-profile compared to non-sauna bathers. Additionally, the results suggest that the positive effects associated with sauna bathing plateaued from 1-4 times per month.

The development and dissemination of health messaging is a critical component of reducing health disparities. Participants (n = 87) from a human biomonitoring study in six Dene communities responded to a survey about health communication regarding contaminants. The survey included questions on awareness of health messages and risk perceptions related to country foods and contaminants. The vast majority of participants reported eating country foods (99%) and heard that country foods had beneficial nutrients (90%). Seventy per cent of respondents had heard or seen messages about fish with high levels of mercury, and 60% had concerns about the safety or quality of country foods they consumed. Respondents who reported decreasing the number of fish they ate since hearing the messages about fish and mercury had lower (p = 0.04) mercury concentration in hair, compared to those who had not heard the messages. However, no differences in hair mercury were observed for respondents who reported to have changed their fishing location, chosen smaller fish or eaten less predatory fish since hearing the messages. Results indicate the need to examine reasons for self-reported behaviour changes, in addition to awareness. The conclusions of this study can inform the development of messaging and risk management decisions about contaminants within Indigenous populations.

A polar plunge is a term referring to an ice-cold water immersion (CWI), usually in the winter period. It is also a part of a specific training program (STP) which currently gains popularity worldwide and was proven to display paradigm-shifting characteristics. The aim of this study was to compare the indices of mental functioning (including depression, anxiety, mindfulness) and duration of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) measured among the study participants. A set of questionnaires was distributed via the Internet. Participants declaring regular STP practice were selected (N = 77). Two groups were matched based on a case-control principle: the first one (the control group) comprised participants who did not declare nor CWI practice, nor STP practice. The second one comprised participants declaring regular CWI practice only. The CWI only group displayed better mental health indices and shorter URTIs compared to the control group. Moreover, the STP group also displayed better general mental health, less somatic complaints, and shorter URTIs compared to the CWI only group. This study suggests the existence of CWI's potential in boosting mental health and immune system functioning, however when complemented by a specific breathwork, this potential can be increased. However, further research is required.

The Arctic Monitoring Assessment Program Human Health Assessment report 2021 presents a summary of the presence of environmental contaminants in human populations across the circumpolar Arctic and related health effects. Based on this report the objective of this paper is giving a short summary of the health effects related to the current level of persistent organic pollutants (POP) and metals. The overall key findings are as follows: i. metals and POP (polychlorinated biphenyls, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)) in the Arctic have known adverse health impacts on humans especially on developing foetuses and children. Lifestyle, diet and nutrition and genetics influence the risk; ii. POP and metals negatively impact the brain and immune system, increasing the risk of childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes later in life and negatively affect foetal growth and development: iii. marine food omega-3 fatty acids can diminish adverse effects of high mercury exposure on cardiovascular and neurological outcomes; iv. the interaction of genetic, lifestyle, nutrition status and contaminants can influence the risk of cancer, metabolic disease, nervous system disorders, disruption of reproduction and foetal and child growth. Future investigations must focus on genetically and effect modifiers and mixtures of POP exposures to explore the effect of chemical interaction on health outcomes.

Inuit youth face challenges in maintaining their wellbeing, stemming from continued impacts of colonisation. Recent work documented that urban centres, such as Winnipeg Canada, have large Inuit populations comprised of a high proportion of youth. However, youth lack culturally appropriate health and wellbeing services. This review aimed to scan peer-reviewed and grey literature on Inuit youth health and wellbeing programming in Canada. This review is to serve as an initial phase in the development of Inuit-centric youth programming for the Qanuinngitsiarutiksait program of research. Findings will support further work of this program of research, including the development of culturally congruent Inuit-youth centric programming in Winnipeg. We conducted an environmental scan and used an assessment criteria to assess the effectiveness of the identified programs. Results showed that identified programs had Inuit involvement in creation framing programming through Inuit knowledge and mostly informed by the culture as treatment approach. Evaluation of programs was diffcult to locate, and it was hard to discren between programming, pilots or explorative studies. Despite the growing urban population, more non-urban programming was found. Overall, research contributes to the development of effective strategies to enhance the health and wellbeing of Inuit youth living in Canada.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed a grave threat not only to Indigenous people's health and well-being, but also to Indigenous communities and societies. This applies also to the Indigenous peoples of the Arctic, where unintentional effects of public health actions to mitigate the spread of virus may have long-lasting effects on vulnerable communities. This study aim was to identify and describe Sámi perspectives on how the Sámi society in Sweden was specifically affected by the pandemic and associated public health actions during 2020-2021. A mixed-method qualitative case study approach was employed, including a media scoping review and stakeholder interviews. The media scoping review included 93 articles, published online or in print, from January 2020 to 1 September 2021, in Swedish or Norwegian, regarding the pandemic-related impacts on Sámi society in Sweden. The review informed a purposeful selection of 15 stakeholder qualitative interviews. Thematic analysis of the articles and interview transcripts generated five subthemes and two main themes: "weathering the storm" and "stressing Sámi culture and society". These reflect social dynamics which highlight stressors towards, and resilience within, the Sámi society during the pandemic. The results may be useful when evaluating and developing public health crisis response plans concerning or affecting the Sámi society in Sweden.

Indigenous People in Canada possess rich cultural traditions, intertwined with a strong connection to nature. However, colonisation and contemporary challenges have given rise to changes in lifestyle and culture, resulting in health and nutrition disparities within these communities. The goal of this review was to explore the available literature of existing Indigenous nutrition programs for adults in Canada. Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review protocol was used to conduct the search between July 2020 and February 2023. Articles were obtained from MEDLINE (Ovid), PsycInfo, Embase (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), Web of Science, Scopus (Elsevier), Canadian Business and Current Affairs (Proquest), and Google Scholar. We identified 24 publications, with 19 being unique interventions. Common themes among programs included integrating traditional foods and cultural values, adapted programming to local needs, empowering community members, using a multidisciplinary collaboration, and leveraging social activities, all of which highlight the need for holistic strategies amid complex historical, social, and environmental factors. Overall, this review emphasises the need for continued support and development of Indigenous-led nutritional initiatives to promote health and well-being among Indigenous adults in Canada. Ensuring culturally relevant and sustainable solutions is crucial for addressing nutritional health disparities and fostering long-term positive outcomes.

This study aims to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and other selected diseases including hypertension, atrial fibrillation, asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, psoriasis and depression among Greenlanders living in Nuuk with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D). The study was designed as a cross-sectional case-control study based on data from the electronic medical record (EMR) in Greenland. Persons with a registered T2D diagnosis in EMR and residence in Nuuk (N = 435) were included. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease was 17.9% among persons with T2D and significantly higher compared to the control group (10.1%). In addition, our results showed a significantly higher prevalence of ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, osteoarthritis and psoriasis among persons with T2D compared to the control group.Our study found a higher prevalence in five out of 10 selected diseases in regularly followed persons with T2D in Nuuk compared to unselected controls. This enlightens the importance of a broad multifaceted approach in combination of changing primary health care to focus on early detection of controllable risk factors and chronic conditions care in Artic Greenland.

Autoimmune liver diseases are rare serious diseases causing chronic inflammation and fibrosis in the liver parenchyma and bile ducts. Yet, the prevalence and burden of autoimmune liver diseases are largely unexplored in Arctic native populations. We investigated the prevalence and management of autoimmune liver diseases in Greenland using nationwide cross-sectional register data and subsequent medical chart reviews validating diagnoses and extracting liver histology examinations and medical treatments. The overall prevalence of autoimmune liver diseases in Greenland was 24.6 per 100,000 (95% CI: 14.7-41.3). This was based on 7 patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) (12.3 per 100,000), 3 patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) (5.3 per 100,000), 4 patients with AIH/PBC overlap disease (7.0 per 100,000), and no patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis. All diagnoses were confirmed by liver histology examinations. Medical treatments adhered to internal recommendations and induced complete remission in most patients with AIH, and complete or partial remission in 1 patient with PBC and 3 patients with AIH/PBC overlap disease. One patient had established cirrhosis at the time of diagnosis, while 2 patients progressed to cirrhosis. In conclusion, the prevalence of autoimmune liver diseases was lower in Greenland than in Scandinavia and among Alaska Inuit.

Sugars from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are an important risk factor for tooth decay. The study goal was to determine if there was variation in added sugar intake across communities and between and within households. In this cross-sectional study, intakes of total sugar, added sugar, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) were estimated for 282 Alaska Native children ages 0-10 years from 131 households in three Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) Delta communities using biomarker equations based on hair carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios previously developed for the Yup'ik population. ANOVA was used to assess associations between each predictor (community and household) and outcome (estimated total sugars, added sugars, and SSB intake). Between- and within-household variation was estimated using a linear mixed-effects model with a random intercept for households with three or more children. There was no significant difference in mean estimated total sugar (p = 0.29), added sugar (p = 0.24), or SSB intake (p = 0.40) across communities. Significant variations were observed between and within households, with within-household variation amounting to 59% of the between-household variation. Added sugar intake in Alaska Native children from the three study communities is higher than the recommended maximum, and the variation is greater within households than between households.