Åsa Engström, Hans Hägglund, Earric Lee, Maria Wennberg, Stefan Söderberg, Maria Andersson
{"title":"Sauna bathing in northern Sweden: results from the MONICA study 2022.","authors":"Åsa Engström, Hans Hägglund, Earric Lee, Maria Wennberg, Stefan Söderberg, Maria Andersson","doi":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2419698","DOIUrl":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2419698","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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.</p>","PeriodicalId":13930,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11524357/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142499873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chenoa Cassidy-Matthews, Margo Pearce, Trana Hussaini, Patricia Spittal, Nadine Caron, Cole Daley, Ruth Alfred, Eric M Yoshida
{"title":"\"My feelings and my thoughts are my lived experience, not the numbers they show me on a piece of paper\": Indigenous experiences of liver transplantation in British Columbia, Canada.","authors":"Chenoa Cassidy-Matthews, Margo Pearce, Trana Hussaini, Patricia Spittal, Nadine Caron, Cole Daley, Ruth Alfred, Eric M Yoshida","doi":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2359747","DOIUrl":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2359747","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Indigenous Peoples in Canada face healthcare inequities impacting access to solid organ transplantation. The experiences of Indigenous patients during the liver transplant process, and how transplant professionals perceive challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples, has not been studied. Thirteen semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted via telehealth with Indigenous liver transplant patients (<i>n</i> = 7) and transplant care providers (<i>n</i> = 6) across British Columbia, Canada between April 2021-May 2022. Themes were identified to inform clinical approaches and transplant care planning and validated by Indigenous health experts. Among patient participants: transplants occurred between 1992-2020; all were women; and the mean age at the time of interview was 60 years. Among transplant care provider participants: roles included nursing, social work, and surgery; 83% were women; and the median number of years in transplant care was ten. Three broad themes were identified: Indigenous strengths and resources, systemic and structural barriers, and inconsistent care and cultural safety across health professions impact Indigenous patient care during liver transplantation. This study contributes insights into systemic barriers and Indigenous resilience in the liver transplant journey. Dismantling structural barriers to early linkage to care is needed, and training for transplant clinicians on Indigenous histories, cultural protocols, and cultural safety is strongly recommended.</p>","PeriodicalId":13930,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11136460/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141161442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Madilyn Short, Jennifer Dobson, Gretchen Day, Brian Lefferts, Rosalyn Singleton, James Keck
{"title":"\"You can feel the fresh air … \" Rural Alaska Native household perceptions of home air purifiers and health.","authors":"Madilyn Short, Jennifer Dobson, Gretchen Day, Brian Lefferts, Rosalyn Singleton, James Keck","doi":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2335702","DOIUrl":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2335702","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Alaska Native and American Indian children experience frequent respiratory illness. Indoor air quality is associated with the severity and frequency of respiratory infections in children. High efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifiers effectively improve indoor air quality and may protect respiratory health. In 2019, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation implemented a pilot programme that provided education and HEPA purifiers to households of children with chronic lung conditions. The team evaluated HEPA purifier acceptability and use by interviewing representatives from 11 households that participated in the pilot programme. All interviewees reported improvement in their child's health, and some believed that the health of other household members was also improved because of the HEPA purifier. Interviewees reported that the HEPA purifiers were easy to use, quiet, and not expensive to run. Five of 11 households were still using the HEPA purifier at the time of the interview, which was about three years after receipt of the unit. The most common reasons for discontinuing use were equipment failure and lack of replacement filter, suggesting that programme support could increase sustainability. Our evaluation suggests that HEPA purifiers are acceptable and feasible for use in rural Alaska Native households.</p>","PeriodicalId":13930,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10984226/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140305576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marina Ulanova, Raymond Sw Tsang, David M Goldfarb, Marek Smieja, Brenda Huska, Kathy Luinstra, Nicole Le Saux
{"title":"Prevalence of <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> in the nasopharynx of children from regions with varying incidence of invasive <i>H. influenzae</i> serotype a disease: Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN) study.","authors":"Marina Ulanova, Raymond Sw Tsang, David M Goldfarb, Marek Smieja, Brenda Huska, Kathy Luinstra, Nicole Le Saux","doi":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2371111","DOIUrl":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2371111","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> serotype a (Hia) has recently emerged as an important cause of invasive disease in the North American Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions, mainly affecting young Indigenous children. In this study, we addressed the question of whether the prevalence of Hia and all <i>H. influenzae</i> in the nasopharynx differed between paediatric populations from regions with high <i>versus</i> low incidence of invasive Hia disease. Nasopharyngeal specimens from children with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) collected for routine diagnostic detection of respiratory viruses were analysed with molecular-genetic methods to identify and serotype <i>H. influenzae</i>. In Nunavut, a region with a high incidence of invasive Hia disease, all <i>H. influenzae</i> and particularly Hia were found in the nasopharynx of 60.6% and 3.0% children. In Southern Ontario (Hamilton region), where Hia invasive disease is rare, the frequencies of all <i>H. influenzae</i> and Hia detection were 38.5% and 0.6%, respectively. In both cohorts, non-typeable <i>H. influenzae</i> was prevalent (57.0% and 37.9%, respectively). Considering that Hia is an important cause of severe invasive disease in Nunavut children, 3% prevalence of Hia among children with ARTI can reflect continuing circulation of the pathogen in the Northern communities that may result in invasive disease outbreaks.</p>","PeriodicalId":13930,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11216270/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141467828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meera L Narayanan, Peter Holck, Ai-Ling Lin, Cynthia D Schraer
{"title":"Living well with diabetes in Alaska.","authors":"Meera L Narayanan, Peter Holck, Ai-Ling Lin, Cynthia D Schraer","doi":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2341988","DOIUrl":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2341988","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many people with diabetes mellitus experience minimal or no complications. Our objective was to determine the proportion of Alaska Native people who experienced four major complications or mortality and to identify factors that may be associated with these outcomes. We used records in a diabetes registry and clinical and demographic variables in our analyses. We used logistic regression and Cox Proportional Hazards models to evaluate associations of these parameters with death and complications that occurred prior to 2013. The study included 591 Alaska Native people with non-type 1 diabetes mellitus, diagnosed between 1986 and 1992. Over 60% of people in this study remained free of four major diabetes-related complications for the remainder of life or throughout the approximately 20-year study period. Lower BMI, higher age at diagnosis of diabetes, and use of at least one diabetes medication were associated with death and a composite of four complications. A majority of Alaska Native people with DM had none of four major complications over a 20-year period. Lower BMI and use of diabetes medications were associated with higher hazard for some deleterious outcomes. This suggests that goals in care of elders should be carefully individualised. In addition, we discuss several programme factors that we believe contributed to favourable outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":13930,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11080664/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140891823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bryan Adlard, Eva C Bonefeld-Jørgensen, Alexey A Dudarev, Kristin Olafsdottir, Khaled Abass, Pierre Ayotte, Élyse Caron-Beaudoin, Mallory Drysdale, Joshua Garcia-Barrios, Irina Gyllenhammar, Brian Laird, Melanie Lemire, Sanna Lignell, Manhai Long, Karin Norström, Sara Packull-McCormick, Maria Skaalum Petersen, Mylene Ratelle, Arja Rautio, Amalie Timmerman, Pal Weihe, Maria Wennberg
{"title":"Levels and trends of metals in human populations living in the Arctic.","authors":"Bryan Adlard, Eva C Bonefeld-Jørgensen, Alexey A Dudarev, Kristin Olafsdottir, Khaled Abass, Pierre Ayotte, Élyse Caron-Beaudoin, Mallory Drysdale, Joshua Garcia-Barrios, Irina Gyllenhammar, Brian Laird, Melanie Lemire, Sanna Lignell, Manhai Long, Karin Norström, Sara Packull-McCormick, Maria Skaalum Petersen, Mylene Ratelle, Arja Rautio, Amalie Timmerman, Pal Weihe, Maria Wennberg","doi":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2386140","DOIUrl":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2386140","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The 2021 Arctic Monitoring Assessment Program (AMAP)'s Human Health Assessment report presents a summary of the presence of contaminants in human populations across the circumpolar Arctic and provides an update to the previous assessment released in 2015. The primary objective of this paper is to summarise some of these findings by describing the current levels of metals across the Arctic, including key regional and temporal trends based on available national data and literature, and highlight knowledge gaps. Many Arctic populations continue to have elevated levels of these contaminants, and the highest levels of mercury (Hg) were observed in populations from Greenland, Faroe Islands, and Nunavik (Canada). Still, concentrations of several metals are declining in Arctic populations in regions where time trends data exist, although the declines are not consistent across all regions. The 2021 AMAP human health assessment report and this paper provide an extensive summary of levels of metals and trace elements in adults, pregnant women, and children across the Arctic.</p>","PeriodicalId":13930,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11342813/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142017342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Russell Dawe, Jack Penashue, John C Knight, Andrea Pike, Mary Pia Benuen, Anastasia Qupee, Nathaniel J Pollock
{"title":"Mortality in Innu communities in Labrador, 1993-2018: a cross-sectional study of causes and location of death.","authors":"Russell Dawe, Jack Penashue, John C Knight, Andrea Pike, Mary Pia Benuen, Anastasia Qupee, Nathaniel J Pollock","doi":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2378581","DOIUrl":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2378581","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In Canada, most people prefer to die at home. However, the proportion of deaths that occur in hospital has increased over time. This study examined mortality rates and proportionate mortality in Innu communities in Labrador, and compared patterns to other communities in Labrador and Newfoundland. We conducted a cross-sectional ecological study with mortality data from the vital statistics system. This included information about all deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador from 1993 to 2018. We used descriptive statistics and rates to examine patterns by age, sex, cause and location. During the 2003 to 2018 period the leading cause of death in the Innu communities (excluding external causes) was cancer, followed by circulatory disease and respiratory disease. Between 1993 and 2018, there was a lower percentage of hospital deaths and a higher percentage of at home deaths in Innu communities than in the rest of the province. The majority of deaths among Innu were due to cancer and chronic diseases. We found a higher percentage of at home deaths in Innu communities compared to the rest of the province.</p>","PeriodicalId":13930,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11299457/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141874758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rasmus Hvidbjerg Gantzel, Carina Nørskov Bagge, Gerda Elisabeth Villadsen, Karsten Fleischer Rex, Henning Grønbæk, Michael Lynge Pedersen
{"title":"The prevalence and disease course of autoimmune liver diseases in Greenland.","authors":"Rasmus Hvidbjerg Gantzel, Carina Nørskov Bagge, Gerda Elisabeth Villadsen, Karsten Fleischer Rex, Henning Grønbæk, Michael Lynge Pedersen","doi":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2327693","DOIUrl":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2327693","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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.</p>","PeriodicalId":13930,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10930088/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140093947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alice Ko, Diane O'Brien, Patricia Rivera, Lloyd Mancl, Scarlett Hopkins, Cameron Randall, Daisy Patiño Nguyen, Donald L Chi
{"title":"Identifying sources of variation in added sugar intake for Alaska Native children using a hair biomarker.","authors":"Alice Ko, Diane O'Brien, Patricia Rivera, Lloyd Mancl, Scarlett Hopkins, Cameron Randall, Daisy Patiño Nguyen, Donald L Chi","doi":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2336286","DOIUrl":"10.1080/22423982.2024.2336286","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>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 (<i>p</i> = 0.29), added sugar (<i>p</i> = 0.24), or SSB intake (<i>p</i> = 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.</p>","PeriodicalId":13930,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Circumpolar Health","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10986438/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140335534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}