Publications by authors named "Elizabeth Rink"

Improving communication between American Indian caregivers and their youth has been suggested as an Indigenous-forward strategy to help alleviate the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) disparities faced by American Indian youth as a result of the legacy of colonial violence against American Indian communities. Studies with non-American Indian and American Indian populations suggest that effective communication about SRH between parents and youth plays a role in reducing sexual risk behaviors among youth. There is limited research that examines youth sexual risk behaviors in relation to communication patterns separately assessed in caregivers and youth.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Multilevel interventions (MLIs) are effective in reducing health disparities among Indigenous peoples by considering their unique histories, cultures, and community dynamics, promoting a shift towards community-level focus rather than individual-level interventions.
  • - The paper reviews three case studies where Indigenous communities collaborated with researchers throughout the MLI process, emphasizing the importance of ongoing conversations, incorporating Indigenous knowledge, and using qualitative methods to better understand health issues.
  • - Key to successful MLIs are building respectful relationships, addressing historical research abuses, and fostering mutual collaboration to create equitable and meaningful solutions that benefit both Indigenous and academic communities.
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This paper outlines the methodological approaches to a multi-site Circumpolar case study exploring the impacts of COVID-19 on Indigenous and remote communities in 7 of 8 Arctic countries. Researchers involved with the project implemented a three-phase multi-site case study to assess the positive and negative societal outcomes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in Arctic communities from 2020 to 2023. The goal of the multi-site case study was to identify community-driven models and evidence-based promising practices and recommendations that can help inform cohesive and coordinated public health responses and protocols related to future public health emergencies in the Arctic.

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Beginning January of 2020, COVID-19 cases detected in Arctic countries triggered government policy responses to stop transmission and limit caseloads beneath levels that would overwhelm existing healthcare systems. This review details the various restrictions, health mandates, and transmission mitigation strategies imposed by governments in eight Arctic countries (the United States, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, and Russia) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, through 31 January 2021s31 January 2021. We highlight formal protocols and informal initiatives adopted by local communities in each country, beyond what was mandated by regional or national governments.

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  • Nen ŨnkUmbi/EdaHiYedo (NE) is an intervention aimed at reducing STIs, HIV, HCV, and teen pregnancy among Assiniboine and Sioux youth on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana, evaluated using a stepped-wedge trial design.
  • The study employs a mixed methods approach, gathering quantitative data from questionnaires and qualitative insights from interviews to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth sexual behaviors.
  • Findings indicate that youth who reported having sex with fewer partners due to the pandemic engaged in more sexual acts, while those who maintained their sexual activity reported fewer acts, highlighting complex behavioral changes during this time.
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We report on baseline findings from NenUnkUmbi/EdaHiYedo, a community based participatory research randomized controlled trial with American Indian adolescents to reduce sexual and reproductive health disparities. American Indian adolescents aged 13-19 years participated in a baseline survey that was administered in five schools. We used zero-inflated negative binomial regression to evaluate how the count of protected sexual acts was associated with independent variables of interest.

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Compared with other racial/ethnic groups in the United States (US), American Indians/Alaska Natives have one of the fastest climbing rates of drug overdose deaths involving stimulants. Validating the substances self-reported by Indigenous people who use injection drugs (IPWIDs) can present logistical and cultural challenges. While the collection of biospecimens (e.

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Article Synopsis
  • American Indians/Alaska Natives face the highest rates of acute Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection and related deaths in the U.S., alongside rising drug overdose deaths involving stimulants.
  • A pilot study was conducted with 40 Indigenous people who use injection drugs (IPWIDs) to analyze their polysubstance use patterns over their lifetimes using a life history calendar.
  • Results showed that most participants started injecting drugs before age 21, many shared syringes, and there was a significant increase in stimulant use after they began injecting, highlighting a connection between methamphetamine use and the HCV epidemic in this population.
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Colonial historical trauma and ongoing structural racism have impacted Indigenous peoples for generations and explain the ongoing health disparities. However, Indigenous peoples have been engaging in multilevel, clinical trial interventions with Indigenous and allied research scientists resulting in promising success. In this paper, National Institutes of Health funded scientists in the field of Indigenous health have sought to describe the utility and need for multilevel interventions across Indigenous communities (Jernigan et al.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study used community-based participatory research and ecological systems theory to examine the reproductive health experiences of Inuit women in a remote settlement in Greenland, focusing on factors affecting pregnancy outcomes.
  • Through 15 in-depth interviews with women aged 19-45, key influences on pregnancy decision-making were identified, including precursors to pregnancy, birth control use, adoption, abortion, and access to reproductive healthcare.
  • The findings underscore the importance of incorporating cultural perspectives into research and health practices to help Inuit women make informed reproductive choices that reflect their cultural values and everyday realities.
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American Indian (AI) youth in the United States experience disproportionate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) disparities relative to their non-Indigenous, white counterparts, including increased rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), earlier sexual debut, increased rates of teen birth, and reduced access to SRH services. Past research shows that to improve SRH outcomes for AI youth in reservation communities, interventions must address complex factors and multiple levels of community that influence sexual risk behaviors. Here, we describe development of a multi-level, multi-component randomized controlled trial (RCT) to intervene upon SRH outcomes in a Northern Plains American Indian reservation community.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The manuscript outlines modifications to a community-based research project called Nen ŨnkUmbi/EdaHiYedo (NE) aimed at improving sexual and reproductive health for American Indian youth, which were necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • - Key changes included reorganizing the trial's design clusters and expanding data collection to capture the pandemic's specific effects on participants, developed through collaboration with tribal researchers and external experts.
  • - These adaptations aim to enhance understanding of how unexpected events like public health crises can influence research outcomes and health disparities in tribal communities.
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This review assessed sexual health and sexually transmitted infection (STI) burden among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) peoples within the context of current clinical and public health services. We conducted a review of published literature about sexual health and bacterial STIs among AI/AN populations in the United States using Medline (OVID), CINAHL (EbscoHost) and Scopus. Peer-reviewed journals published during 1 January 2005-2 December 2021 were included and supplemented by other publicly available literature.

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Article Synopsis
  • Circumpolar Indigenous populations face significant health disparities compared to non-Indigenous people, prompting a study on cultural safety and competence in health care.
  • The research reviewed literature from several Circumpolar regions, revealing that while concepts of cultural safety are well-discussed in Canada, similar discussions are lacking in Greenland and Nordic countries.
  • The study highlights a critical gap in addressing culturally safe care for Sámi and Greenlandic Inuit and calls for integrating these concepts into health program development in Circumpolar regions.
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  • * Sixty in-depth interviews revealed that IPWIDs often rely on punitive criminal justice interactions rather than adequate healthcare services and face challenges like unstable access to sterile syringes and limited treatment options.
  • * The study calls for decolonizing healthcare approaches for IPWIDs, advocating for tribe-centered, culturally appropriate treatment, along with increased access to sterile equipment and opioid substitution therapy, particularly on reservations.
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American Indian youth experience teen birth and school dropout at higher rates than other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Early childbearing is associated with adverse health and socioeconomic outcomes, including attenuated education. However, kinship childrearing norms among Northern Plains tribes can support positive experiences of early childbearing.

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  • Molecular-bacterial vaginosis (BV) is linked to low levels of Lactobacillus in the vagina and increases the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with American Indian women particularly affected by both high stress and STIs.
  • A study involving 70 Northwestern Plains American Indian women assessed various psychosocial stressors, including historical loss, and their impact on vaginal microbiota and BV-related metabolites.
  • Results indicated that 66% of participants had molecular-BV, and high levels of lifetime trauma were significantly associated with higher odds of having this condition, along with correlations to lifestyle practices and specific metabolites like spermine.
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Article Synopsis
  • * This theory helps in understanding how unique factors like colonization and tribal identities contribute to the structural inequalities faced by American Indians.
  • * By integrating Indigenous knowledge with Western methodologies, Indigenous standpoint theory aims to decolonize research practices and ensure that research directly benefits American Indian communities.
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Emerging evidence suggests that the historical trauma associated with settler colonialism affects the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of American Indian (AI) communities today. This article examines how one AI community narratively frames the influence of historical trauma within the context of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and the implications of this framing for health behaviours, internalized oppression, SRH outcomes, and future CBPR interventions. We found that AIs framed the SRH consequences of historical trauma with renderings that favoured personal choice over structural explanations.

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Aims: Historically, health research in the Arctic has focused on documenting ill-health using a narrow set of deficit-oriented epidemiologic indicators (i.e., prevalence of disease and mortality rates).

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the ethical engagement in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) with Sami communities in northern Finland, highlighting the views of both Sami community members and researchers.
  • - Five main themes were identified: trust establishment, preparation for research, understanding research processes, adherence to research ethics, and inclusion of Sami voices in research.
  • - The findings stress the importance of building trust, addressing biases stemming from different worldviews, and enhancing education on community engagement methods for researchers, advocating for formal ethical protocols to ensure equitable research outcomes.
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Purpose And Objectives: Academic literature indicates a need for more integration of Indigenous and colonial research systems in the design, implementation, and evaluation of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with American Indian communities. In this article, we describe ways to implement RCTs with Tribal Nations using community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles and practices.

Intervention Approach: We used a multiple case study research design to examine how Tribal Nations and researchers collaborated to develop, implement, and evaluate CBPR RCTs.

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  • - The study aimed to compare the effects of a typical Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) diet with a DGA-compliant FDPIR diet on inflammation, appetite, and energy intake among American Indian and non-AI individuals.
  • - Using a randomized crossover design, participants (n=13) tried both dietary conditions, revealing no notable differences in inflammation and appetite, but statistically significant higher energy intake (14% more kcal) on the typical FDPIR diet.
  • - The findings suggest that a higher calorie intake from the typical FDPIR diet could elevate the risk of obesity and related diseases like type 2 diabetes, highlighting the importance of adhering to dietary guidelines.
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