Promoting Inuit health through a participatory whiteboard video.

Setting: The Inuit community of Rigolet experiences greater rates of self-reported acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) compared to southern Canada.

Intervention: A whiteboard video tool was collaboratively developed by Rigolet youth, community members, the research team and key regional stakeholders to share public health recommendations for reducing the risk of AGI. The video debuted in Rigolet at a community event in August 2016 and was later provided online for community members and local and regional health departments.

Understanding Weather and Hospital Admissions Patterns to Inform Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in the Healthcare Sector in Uganda.

Season and weather are associated with many health outcomes, which can influence hospital admission rates. We examined associations between hospital admissions (all diagnoses) and local meteorological parameters in Southwestern Uganda, with the aim of supporting hospital planning and preparedness in the context of climate change. : Hospital admissions data and meteorological data were collected from Bwindi Community Hospital and a satellite database of weather conditions, respectively (2011 to 2014).

The hidden costs: Identification of indirect costs associated with acute gastrointestinal illness in an Inuit community.

Background: Acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) incidence and per-capita healthcare expenditures are higher in some Inuit communities as compared to elsewhere in Canada. Consequently, there is a demand for strategies that will reduce the individual-level costs of AGI; this will require a comprehensive understanding of the economic costs of AGI. However, given Inuit communities' unique cultural, economic, and geographic contexts, there is a knowledge gap regarding the context-specific indirect costs of AGI borne by Inuit community members.

How are perceptions associated with water consumption in Canadian Inuit? A cross-sectional survey in Rigolet, Labrador.

Concerns regarding the safety and aesthetic qualities of one's municipal drinking water supply are important factors influencing drinking water perceptions and consumption patterns (i.e. sources used and daily volume of consumption).

Water quality and health in northern Canada: stored drinking water and acute gastrointestinal illness in Labrador Inuit.

One of the highest self-reported incidence rates of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) in the global peer-reviewed literature occurs in Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic. This high incidence of illness could be due, in part, to the consumption of contaminated water, as many northern communities face challenges related to the quality of municipal drinking water. Furthermore, many Inuit store drinking water in containers in the home, which could increase the risk of contamination between source and point-of-use (i.

Food insecurity and food consumption by season in households with children in an Arctic city: a cross-sectional study.

Background: High rates of food insecurity are documented among Inuit households in Canada; however, data on food insecurity prevalence and seasonality for Inuit households with children are lacking, especially in city centres. This project: (1) compared food consumption patterns for households with and without children, (2) compared the prevalence of food insecurity for households with and without children, (3) compared food consumption patterns and food insecurity prevalence between seasons, and (4) identified factors associated with food insecurity in households with children in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada.

Methods: Randomly selected households were surveyed in Iqaluit in September 2012 and May 2013.

A protocol for a systematic literature review: comparing the impact of seasonal and meteorological parameters on acute respiratory infections in Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

Background: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, and are often linked to seasonal and/or meteorological conditions. Globally, Indigenous peoples may experience a different burden of ARI compared to non-Indigenous peoples. This protocol outlines our process for conducting a systematic review to investigate whether associations between ARI and seasonal or meteorological parameters differ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups residing in the same geographical region.

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.

What do we know about health-related knowledge translation in the Circumpolar North? Results from a scoping review.

Background: Health research knowledge translation (KT) is important to improve population health outcomes. Considering social, geographical and cultural contexts, KT in Inuit communities often requires different methods than those commonly used in non-Inuit populations.

Objectives: To examine the extent, range and nature of literature about health-related KT in Inuit communities.

Seasonal prevalence and determinants of food insecurity in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Background: Food insecurity is an ongoing problem in the Canadian Arctic. Although most studies have focused on smaller communities, little is known about food insecurity in larger centres.

Objectives: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of food insecurity during 2 different seasons in Iqaluit, the territorial capital of Nunavut, as well as identify associated risk factors.

Climate-sensitive health priorities in Nunatsiavut, Canada.

Background: This exploratory study used participatory methods to identify, characterize, and rank climate-sensitive health priorities in Nunatsiavut, Labrador, Canada.

Methods: A mixed method study design was used and involved collecting both qualitative and quantitative data at regional, community, and individual levels. In-depth interviews with regional health representatives were conducted throughout Nunatsiavut (n = 11).

Healthcare use for acute gastrointestinal illness in two Inuit communities: Rigolet and Iqaluit, Canada.

Background: The incidence of self-reported acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, and Iqaluit, Nunavut, is higher than reported elsewhere in Canada; as such, understanding AGI-related healthcare use is important for healthcare provision, public health practice and surveillance of AGI.

Objectives: This study described symptoms, severity and duration of self-reported AGI in the general population and examined the incidence and factors associated with healthcare utilization for AGI in these 2 Inuit communities.

Design: Cross-sectional survey data were analysed using multivariable exact logistic regression to examine factors associated with individuals' self-reported healthcare and over-the-counter (OTC) medication utilization related to AGI symptoms.

An assessment of antimicrobial resistant disease threats in Canada.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of infectious agents is a growing concern for public health organizations. Given the complexity of this issue and how widespread the problem has become, resources are often insufficient to address all concerns, thus prioritization of AMR pathogens is essential for the optimal allocation of risk management attention. Since the epidemiology of AMR pathogens differs between countries, country-specific assessments are important for the determination of national priorities.

Lived experience of acute gastrointestinal illness in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut: "just suffer through it".

Enteric illness associated with foodborne and waterborne disease is thought to be common in some Canadian Indigenous communities. This study aimed to understand the lived experience of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI), including symptoms and severity, perceived causes, and healthcare seeking behaviors of AGI in the small Inuit community of Rigolet, Canada. A concurrent mixed quantitative and qualitative methods design was used.

Community-level risk factors for notifiable gastrointestinal illness in the Northwest Territories, Canada, 1991-2008.

Background: Enteric pathogens are an important cause of illness, however, little is known about their community-level risk factors (e.g., socioeconomic, cultural and physical environmental conditions) in the Northwest Territories (NWT) of Canada.

Prevalence of zoonotic anisakid nematodes in Inuit-harvested fish and mammals from the eastern Canadian Arctic.

Human anisakidosis is a recognized Arctic zoonosis that is directly related to the consumption of traditional Inuit foods, particularly raw fish. The epidemiology of infections with the zoonotic anisakid nematodes Anisakis simplex and Pseudoterranova decipiens was investigated from August 2007 to July 2009 in Inuit-harvested fish and marine mammals from Inuit regions of Nunavik, Nunavut, and Nunatsiavut, Canada. Fish were tested for anisakid larvae using the pepsin-HCl digestion method, and the stomachs or stomach contents of beluga whales, walruses, and three seal species were examined for anisakids.

A descriptive analysis of notifiable gastrointestinal illness in the Northwest Territories, Canada, 1991-2008.

Objectives: To describe the major characteristics of reported notifiable gastrointestinal illness (NGI) data in the Northwest Territories (NWT) from January 1991 through December 2008.

Design: Descriptive analysis of 708 reported cases of NGI extracted from the Northwest Territories Communicable Disease Registry (NWT CDR).

Setting: Primary, secondary and tertiary health care centres across all 33 communities of the NWT.

Vulnerability of indigenous health to climate change: a case study of Uganda's Batwa Pygmies.

The potential impacts of climate change on human health in sub-Saharan Africa are wide-ranging, complex, and largely adverse. The region's Indigenous peoples are considered to be at heightened risk given their relatively poor health outcomes, marginal social status, and resource-based livelihoods; however, little attention has been given to these most vulnerable of the vulnerable. This paper contributes to addressing this gap by taking a bottom-up approach to assessing health vulnerabilities to climate change in two Batwa Pygmy communities in rural Uganda.

A spatial and temporal analysis of notifiable gastrointestinal illness in the Northwest Territories, Canada, 1991-2008.

Background: This is the first study to describe the geographical and temporal distribution of notifiable gastrointestinal illness (NGI) in the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada. Understanding the distribution of NGI in space and time is important for identifying communities at high risk. Using data derived from the Northwest Territories Communicable Disease Registry (NWT CDR), a number of spatial and temporal techniques were used to explore and analyze NGI incidence from the years 1991 to 2008.

"From this place and of this place:" climate change, sense of place, and health in Nunatsiavut, Canada.

As climate change impacts are felt around the globe, people are increasingly exposed to changes in weather patterns, wildlife and vegetation, and water and food quality, access and availability in their local regions. These changes can impact human health and well-being in a variety of ways: increased risk of foodborne and waterborne diseases; increased frequency and distribution of vector-borne disease; increased mortality and injury due to extreme weather events and heat waves; increased respiratory and cardiovascular disease due to changes in air quality and increased allergens in the air; and increased susceptibility to mental and emotional health challenges. While climate change is a global phenomenon, the impacts are experienced most acutely in place; as such, a sense of place, place-attachment, and place-based identities are important indicators for climate-related health and adaptation.

Community-derived research dissemination strategies in an Inuit community.

Objectives: To determine how residents of the Inuit community of Nain, Nunatsiavut, Canada would like research results disseminated to their community.

Study Design: Qualitative study using focus groups and key informant interviews.

Methods: As part of a larger study on food safety, one focus group was conducted with hunters (n=7) and a second with members of the general community (n=7) to determine research dissemination strategies previously used in the community, and to obtain recommendations for effective and appropriate strategies for future use.

Weather, water quality and infectious gastrointestinal illness in two Inuit communities in Nunatsiavut, Canada: potential implications for climate change.

Climate change is expected to cause changes in precipitation quantity, intensity, frequency and duration, which will subsequently alter environmental conditions and might increase the risk of waterborne disease. The objective of this study was to describe the seasonality of and explore associations between weather, water quality and occurrence of infectious gastrointestinal illnesses (IGI) in two communities in Nunatsiavut, Canada. Weather data were obtained from meteorological stations in Nain (2005-2008) and Rigolet (2008).

Syndromic Surveillance of Norovirus using Over-the-counter Sales of Medications Related to Gastrointestinal Illness.

Objective: To assess whether over-the-counter (OTC) sales of gastrointestinal illness (GI)-related medications are associated with temporal trends of reportable community viral, bacterial and parasitic infections.

Methods: The temporal patterns in weekly and seasonal sales of nonprescription products related to GI were compared with those of reportable viral, bacterial and parasitic infections in a Canadian province.

Results: Temporal patterns of OTC product sales and Norovirus activity were similar, both having highest activity in the winter months.

Estimated Numbers of Community Cases of Illness Due to Salmonella, Campylobacter and Verotoxigenic Escherichia Coli: Pathogen-specific Community Rates.

Objective: To estimate the annual number of cases of illness due to verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC), Salmonella and Campylobacter in the Canadian population, using data from the National Notifiable Disease registry (NND), estimates of under-reporting derived from several National Studies on Acute Gastrointestinal Illness, and the literature.

Methods: For each of the three pathogens (VTEC, Salmonella and Campylobacter), data were used to estimate the percentage of cases reported at each step in the surveillance system. The number of reported cases in the NND for each pathogen was then divided by these percentages.

Physician diagnostic and reporting practices for gastrointestinal illnesses in three health regions of British Columbia.

Objectives: To estimate seasonal proportions of patient visits due to acute gastrointestinal illness (GI), assess factors influencing physicians' stool sample requests, their understanding of laboratory testing protocols and adherence to provincial stool request guidelines in three British Columbia (BC) health regions.

Methods: During a one-year period, eligible physicians were mailed four self-administered questionnaires used to estimate proportions of patients diagnosed with GI, related stool sample requests in the preceding month, and to assess factors prompting stool sample requests.

Results: The response rate overall for the initial comprehensive questionnaire was 18.