Awareness and perceptions of contaminants in the Dehcho and sahtú regions of the Northwest Territories.

The development and dissemination of health messaging is a critical component of reducing health disparities. Participants ( = 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 Qanuilirpitaa? 2017 Nunavik Health Survey: design, methods, and lessons learned.

Objective: To depict the design, methods, sociodemographic characteristics of the population, and lessons learned during the Qanuilirpitaa? 2017 Nunavik Inuit Health Survey, the third major health survey to be conducted among youth and adults residing in Nunavik (Northern Quebec, Canada).

Methods: Qanuilirpitaa? 2017 is a cross-sectional survey that served to update information regarding various aspects of physical health, mental health, and general well-being of Nunavimmiut. The survey was guided by the ethics principles of Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP®) ( https://fnigc.

Assessment of the implementation fidelity of the Arctic Char Distribution Project in Nunavik, Quebec.

Background: In September 2011, the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services began supporting the Arctic Char Distribution Project (AC/DP) for pregnant women. This initiative promoted consumption of the fish Arctic char-a traditional Inuit food-by pregnant women living in villages of Nunavik, an area in northern Quebec (Canada) inhabited predominantly by people of Inuit ethnicity. This intervention was intended to reduce exposure to contaminants and improve food security in Inuit communities.

Community-based adaptation research in the Canadian Arctic.

Community-based adaptation (CBA) has emerged over the last decade as an approach to empowering communities to plan for and cope with the impacts of climate change. While such approaches have been widely advocated, few have critically examined the tensions and challenges that CBA brings. Responding to this gap, this article critically examines the use of CBA approaches with Inuit communities in Canada.

Is hunting still healthy? Understanding the interrelationships between indigenous participation in land-based practices and human-environmental health.

Indigenous participation in land-based practices such as hunting, fishing, ceremony, and land care has a long history. In recent years, researchers and policy makers have advocated the benefits of these practices for both Indigenous people and the places they live. However, there have also been documented risks associated with participation in these activities.

Adapting to the effects of climate change on Inuit health.

Climate change will have far-reaching implications for Inuit health. Focusing on adaptation offers a proactive approach for managing climate-related health risks-one that views Inuit populations as active agents in planning and responding at household, community, and regional levels. Adaptation can direct attention to the root causes of climate vulnerability and emphasize the importance of traditional knowledge regarding environmental change and adaptive strategies.

Risk communication and trust in decision-maker action: a case study of the Giant Mine Remediation Plan.

Background: The development and implementation of a remediation plan for the residual arsenic trioxide stored at the former Giant Mine site in the Canadian Northwest Territories has raised important issues related to trust. Social and individual trust of those responsible for making decisions on risks is critically important in community judgements on risk and the acceptability of risk management decisions. Trust is known to be affected by value similarity and confidence in past performance, which serve as interacting sources of cooperation in acting toward a common goal.

Climate change, health, and vulnerability in Canadian northern Aboriginal communities.

Background: Canada has recognized that Aboriginal and northern communities in the country face unique challenges and that there is a need to expand the assessment of vulnerabilities to climate change to include these communities. Evidence suggests that Canada's North is already experiencing significant changes in its climate--changes that are having negative impacts on the lives of Aboriginal people living in these regions. Research on climate change and health impacts in northern Canada thus far has brought together Aboriginal community members, government representatives, and researchers and is charting new territory.

The potential impact of climate on human exposure to contaminants in the Arctic.

Many northern indigenous populations are exposed to elevated concentrations of contaminants through traditional food and many of these contaminants come from regions exterior to the Arctic. Global contaminant pathways include the atmosphere, ocean currents, and river outflow, all of which are affected by climate. In addition to these pathways, precipitation, animal availability, UV radiation, cryosphere degradation and human industrial activities in the North are also affected by climate change.