New Publication: Climate change and Inuit health priorities

We are pleased to share our new commentary paper recently published in One Earth. This commentary was co-authored by Sherilee Harper (University of Alberta), Dalee Sambo Dorough (Inuit Circumpolar Council), Joanna Petrasek MacDonald (Inuit Circumpolar Council), Ashlee Cunsolo (Labrador Institute of Memorial University), and Nia King (Queen’s University).

In the commentary, we asked: if climate change is the “biggest health threat of the century,” what does this mean for regions experiencing the fastest warming on the planet?

Here are the key messages from our paper:

1) What are the Climate Change key risks to Inuit health?

Some key climate-health impacts include:

• Nutrition

• Foodborne illness

• Waterborne illness

• Mental health

• Health services

• Heat morbidity

• Injury and death

Key Inuit Climate-Health Risks Identified

Read the Article

2) What must be done to address climatechange health risks?

We called for Inuit self-determination in climate-health research, response & governance, with a focus on Inuit knowledge & Inuit-led research for a climate-resilient Inuit Nunaat.

Calls to Climate-Health Action

Read the Article

Article citation:

Harper, S.L., Sambo Dorough, D., Petrasek MacDonald, J., Cunsolo, A., & King, N. (2021). Climate change and Inuit health: Research does not match risks posed. One Earth, 4(12), 1656-1660.

New Publication! How do Inuit identify and use metrics that matter for climate change adaptation? Read more here!

Our new publication explores how Rigolet Inuit identify & use land-based observations for community-led, place-based climate change adaptation in the North.

This research was conducted in partnership with Inuit and was authored by Alex Sawatzky, Ashlee Cunsolo, Inez Shiwak, Charlie Flowers, Andria Jones-Bitton, Dan Gillis, Jacqueline Middleton, Michele Wood, and Sherilee Harper.

What are the key findings?

Key finding #1

Key finding #2

Key finding #3

Key finding #4

New Publication! How has the climate and health literature evolved since the last IPCC Assessment Report? Check out our main findings here!

How has climate change and health research in North America advanced since the last IPCC Assessment Report (AR5)? Read our new research recently published in Environmental Research to find out!

Congratulations to the entire author team: Sherilee Harper, Ashlee Cunsolo, Amreen Babujee, Shaugn Coggins, Etienne de Jongh, Tianna Rusnak, Carlee Wright, and Mauricio Domínguez Aguilar!

Here is a summary of our main findings.  

We used a scoping review approach to systematically identify and examine publication trends. We examined 56,000+ potentially relevant articles, of which 756 articles measured climate and health in North America since IPCC AR5.

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Urban heat-related and respiratory research in USA dominates the North American climate-health literature.

Gaps on previously neglected climate-health outcomes are beginning to be filled but are still under-researched, including mental health, nutrition, and foodborne disease.

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Most research focused on climate-health impacts – less focused on adaptation & mitigation. 

Geographical research inequities exist, including research gaps in Canada and Mexico, and in rural and remote regions.

Importantly, we found a significant decrease in climate-health research in Canada since IPCC AR5, which highlights a concerning trend.

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 We observed progress in future projections of climate-health risks - but projection research is still under-studied for many climate-sensitive health outcomes in North America, and would benefit from considering social and demographic variables in models. 

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Based on current climate-health evidence gaps, transdisciplinary and cross-sector research, that includes the social sciences, examining current and future climate-health adaptation, mitigation, and the adaptation-mitigation nexus should become a top priority for research, given the urgent need for this evidence to inform climate change policies, actions, and interventions.

New Publication! Indigenous voices for water policy and research

Congratulations to Lindsay Day for her recent publication in The International Indigenous Policy Journal. In this article, Lindsay worked with Indigenous partners to explore the nature and dimensions of Indigenous ways of knowing around water and examines what the inclusion of Indigenous voices, lived experience, and knowledge mean for water policy and research. Data were collected during a National Water Gathering that brought together 32 Indigenous and non-Indigenous water experts, researchers, and knowledge holders from across Canada. Data were analyzed thematically through a collaborative podcasting methodology, which also contributed to an audio-documentary podcast (www.WaterDialogues.ca).

Citation:

Day, L., Cunsolo, A., Castleden, H., Sawatzky, A., Martin, D., Hart, C., Dewey, C., & Harper, S.L. (2020). “The legacy will be the change”: Reconciling how we live with and relate to water. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 11(3). Click here to access the article (free open-access)

New publication! Climate change and Inuit mental health

Congratulations to Dr. Jacqueline Middleton for a new publication about climate change and Inuit mental health in Nunatsiavut, Canada.

Jacquie’s article was published in Social Science and Medicine and is (free) open-access.

Middleton, J., Cunsolo, A., Jones-Bitton, A., Shiwak, I., Wood, M., Pollock, N., Flowers, C., Harper, S.L., 2020. “We’re people of the snow:” Weather, climate change, and Inuit mental wellness. Soc. Sci. Med. 262, 113137. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113137

New Publication! Global review of climate change, resilience, and Indigenous knowledge

A new paper led by James Ford, and co-authored by CCGH team members Nia King and Sherilee Harper, was just published in One Earth. The article, titled “The Resilience of Indigenous Peoples to Environmental Change” examines how issues of sovereignty, power, social justice, development, and history impact the resilience of Indigenous peoples to environmental change globally.

Citation: Ford, J. D., King, N., Galappaththi, E. K., Pearce, T., McDowell, G., & Harper, S. L. (2020). The Resilience of Indigenous Peoples to Environmental Change. One Earth, 2(6), 532-543. Access the article here (free open-access)

New Publication! Climate change, water and human health research in the Arctic

We are excited to share a new publication, “Climate change, water and human health research in the Arctic” recently published in a Water Security special issue on water, adaptation and resilience.

The article was authored by Sherilee Harper, Carlee Wright, Stephanie Masina, and Shaugn Coggins.

What trends in the literature did the review uncover?

Article citation:

Harper, S. L., Wright, C., Masina, S., & Coggins, S. (2020). Climate change, water, and human health research in the Arctic. Water Security, 10, 100062. Click here to access the article (free open-access).

New Publication! Trends in NTD and climate change research in East Africa

Congratulations to Julia Bryson on her recent publication, entitled, “Neglected tropical diseases in the context of climate change in East Africa: A systematic scoping review”.

Citation:

Bryson, J. M., Bishop-Williams, K. E., Berrang-Ford, L., Nunez, E. C., Lwasa, S., Namanya, D. B., Indigenous Health Adaptation to Climate Change Research Team, & Harper, S.L.. (2020). Neglected Tropical Diseases in the Context of Climate Change in East Africa: A Systematic Scoping Review. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 102(6), 1443–1454. Click here to access the article.

New Publication! Characterizing climate change impacts on Indigenous peoples' mental health

Congratulations to Jacqueline Middleton for her recent publication, entitled “Indigenous mental health in a changing climate: a systematic scoping review of the global literature”, published in Environmental Research Letters.

Indigenous Peoples globally are among those who are most acutely experiencing the mental health impacts of climate change; however, little is known about the ways in which Indigenous Peoples globally experience climate-sensitive mental health impacts and outcomes, and how these experiences may vary depending on local socio-cultural contexts, geographical location, and regional variations in climate change. Thus, in this article, Jacqueline examined the extent, range, and nature of published research investigating the ways in which global Indigenous mental health is impacted by meteorological, seasonal, and climatic changes.

What did we find?

Citation:

Middleton, J., Cunsolo, A., Jones-Bitton, A., Wright, C.J., Harper, S.L., 2020. Indigenous mental health in a changing climate: a systematic scoping review of the global literature. Environ. Res. Lett. 15, 053001.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab68a9

Acute gastrointestinal illness prevention needs to go beyond education

New publication

Congratulations to Kaitlin Patterson for her new publication that examined the lived experience of acute gastrointestinal illness for Indigenous Batwa in Uganda.

New report! Canada’s Top Climate Change Risks

The Council of Canadian Academies just released a new report, entitled “Canada’s Top Climate Change Risks”. Dr. Ashlee Cunsolo served as an expert at the workshop, and Dr. Sherilee Harper served as an invited peer reviewer.

Canada’s Top Climate Change Risks

By the Council of Canadian Academies

Read the Report

Here is the summary of the report:

“The climate is changing, with temperatures in Canada rising at twice the global average. Over the next 20 years, we can expect to see increasing impacts of climate change, from more frequent and severe hot extremes, to thawing of permafrost, to increases in extreme precipitation. These types of changes put a range of natural and human systems at risk, prompting governments to intensify their efforts to adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gases.

While many Canadian governments have studied climate change risks at the sectoral and departmental level, few have current, government-wide assessments that could help prioritize their response to risks across their activities and operations. Seeking a comprehensive examination of climate change risks from a whole-of-government perspective, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat asked the CCA to examine the top climate risks for Canada and their relative significance.

To address the question, the CCA convened a multidisciplinary panel of seven experts with backgrounds in economics, human health, earth sciences, social sciences, and climate change adaptation and risk assessment. An additional 17 experts contributed their knowledge and insights at an expert workshop. The report’s findings emerged from the judgment, experience, and expertise of the workshop participants and Expert Panel members, informed by published evidence.”

Who is environmental health research serving?

About a year ago, and shortly after ITK’s Inuit Research Strategy was released, Jen Jones led the publication of an article that examined environmental health research in the Circumpolar North.

Addressing factors leading to health disparities in the Circumpolar North require approaches that consider and address the social determinants of health including on-going colonization. Today, colonization and related policies and processes, continue to manifest in the marginalization of Indigenous knowledge, particularly its use in research; however, Indigenous populations have moved from being research subjects to leaders and consumers of environmental health research. Given the tensions that exist between how health research is conducted, how the results are mobilized, and who has control and access to the results, we examined how peer-reviewed environment-related Indigenous health research in the Circumpolar North is serving the needs of Indigenous communities, governments, and organizations. Read the full article here.

Citation: Jones, J., Cunsolo, A., & Harper, S. L. (2018). Who is research serving? A systematic realist review of circumpolar environment-related Indigenous health literature. PloS one, 13(5), e0196090.

Free open-access article

Jones, Cunsolo, and Harper 2018

Read the full article here!

CBC Radio Interview

Jen spoke with CBC host Leonard Linklater about the paper

Listen Here!

How can technology support community-led monitoring in a changing climate? Read our new article to find out!

We are excited to share our recent publication on the need for community-led, integrated and innovative monitoring programmes when responding to the health impacts of climate change in the Circumpolar North.

How does climate change impact health in rural and remote regions in Canada?

It's our pleasure to share our new publication, which provides a synthesis of the forthcoming first order draft of the Canadian Government’s National Assessment on Climate Change ‘Rural and Remote’ chapter, highlighting key health concerns from the literature associated with climate change in rural and remote regions, as well as existing and future adaptation strategies.

New Publication! Using Whiteboard Videos for Health Promotion

Citation

Saini, M., Roche, S., Papadopoulos, A., Markwick, N., Shiwak, I., Flowers, C., Wood, M., Edge, V., Ford, J., Rigolet Inuit Community Government, Nunatsiavut Government, IHACC Research Team, Wright, C., Harper, S. (2019). Promoting Inuit health through a participatory whiteboard video. Can J Public Health. doi: 10.17269/s41997-019-00189-1

Abstract

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. Interviews and focus group discussions were used to evaluate the ability of the video to communicate public health information to community members in Rigolet.

Outcomes: Community and government viewers reported that the whiteboard video was novel and engaging. Evaluation participants believed the video was suitable for promoting Inuit health because of the use of locally relevant visuals and narrative, which reflect Inuit art and storytelling traditions. Furthermore, participants indicated that the video co-development process was critical to ensuring community relevance of the video. Short-term outcome results suggest the video can reinforce health knowledge and potentially encourage behavioural change.

Implications: The results suggest this whiteboard video was an effective tool to share information and could increase intention to change behaviours to reduce the risk of AGI in Rigolet. While tools like the whiteboard video are gaining popularity, the participatory approach was used to develop the video, and its use in an Inuit context illustrates its innovation and novelty. This tool may be a useful health promotion tool among Indigenous communities in Canada.

How can integrated health & environmental monitoring support climate change adaptation? Check out our new publication to find out!

Congratulations to Alexandra Sawatzy on her recent publication. Alex reviewed integrated surveillance used for responding to climate and environmental change impacts on human health in the Circumpolar North. The article can be accessed, for free, at: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/12/2706

Key Messages:

Key Message 1:

The wide range and diversity of integrated surveillance systems described in the literature can help guide and target evidence-based public health responses in support of climate change adaptation in the North.

Key Message 2:

2: Findings offer insight into how these systems can be designed to be more responsive to public health concerns within rapidly shifting Northern environments.

What are key components of integrated surveillance?

Recommendations & Next Steps:

Article citation:

Sawatzky, A., Cunsolo, A., Jones-Bitton, A., Middleton, J., Harper, S.L. (2018). Responding to Climate and Environmental Change Impacts on Human Health via Integrated Surveillance in the Circumpolar North: A Systematic Realist Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health.15(12), 2706. Click here to access the article (free open-access)

Abstract:

Environments are shifting rapidly in the Circumpolar Arctic and Subarctic regions as a result of climate change and other external stressors, and this has a substantial impact on the health of northern populations. Thus, there is a need for integrated surveillance systems designed to monitor the impacts of climate change on human health outcomes as part of broader adaptation strategies in these regions. This review aimed to identify, describe, and synthesize literature on integrated surveillance systems in Circumpolar Arctic and Subarctic regions, that are used for research or practice. Following a systematic realist review approach, relevant articles were identified using search strings developed for MEDLINE® and Web of Science™ databases, and screened by two independent reviewers. Articles that met the inclusion criteria were retained for descriptive quantitative analysis, as well as thematic qualitative analysis, using a realist lens. Of the 3431 articles retrieved in the database searches, 85 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Thematic analysis identified components of integrated surveillance systems that were categorized into three main groups: structural, processual, and relational components. These components were linked to surveillance attributes and activities that supported the operations and management of integrated surveillance. This review advances understandings of the distinct contributions of integrated surveillance systems and data to discerning the nature of changes in climate and environmental conditions that affect population health outcomes and determinants in the Circumpolar North. Findings from this review can be used to inform the planning, design, and evaluation of integrated surveillance systems that support evidence-based public health research and practice in the context of increasing climate change and the need for adaptation.

The article can be accessed, for free, at: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/12/2706

New Publication: Wastewater treatment and enteric illness in the Arctic

The article is freely available for 50 days: Anyone clicking on this link before February 03, 2019 will be taken directly to the final version of this article: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1YE0uB8ccghTq

Citation:

Daley, K., Jamieson, R., Rainham, D., Hansen, L. T., Harper, S. L. (2018). Screening-level microbial risk assessment of acute gastrointestinal illness attributable to wastewater treatment systems in Nunavut, Canada. Science of the Total Environment. 657(20): 1253-1264.

Abstract:

Most arctic communities use primary wastewater treatment systems that are capable of only low levels of pathogen removal. Effluent potentially containing fecally derived microorganisms is released into wetlands and marine waters that may simultaneously serve as recreation or food harvesting locations for local populations. The purpose of this study is to provide the first estimates of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) attributable to wastewater treatment systems in Arctic Canada. A screening-level, point estimate quantitative microbial risk assessment model was developed to evaluate worst-case scenarios across an array of exposure pathways in five case study locations. A high annual AGI incidence rate of 5.0 cases per person is estimated in Pangnirtung, where a mechanical treatment plant discharges directly to marine waters, with all cases occurring during low tide conditions. The probability of AGI per person per single exposure during this period ranges between 1.0 × 10−1 (shore recreation) and 6.0 × 10−1 (shellfish consumption). A moderate incidence rate of 1.2 episodes of AGI per person is estimated in Naujaat, where a treatment system consisting of a pond and tundra wetland is used, with the majority of cases occurring during spring. The pathway with the highest individual probability of AGI per single exposure event is wetland travel at 6.0 × 10−1. All other risk probabilities per single exposure are <1.0 × 10−1. The AGI incidence rates estimated for the other three case study locations are <0.1. These findings suggest that wastewater treatment sites may be contributing to elevated rates of AGI in some arctic Canadian communities. Absolute risk values, however, should be weighed with caution based on the exploratory nature of this study design. These results can be used to inform future risk assessment and epidemiological research as well as support public health and sanitation decisions in the region.

How do non-climatic factors reinforce maladaptation trajectories? Check out this new publication to find out.

Congratulations to Dr. Carol Zaveleta for her recent publication in PLoS One.  Her participatory, community-based study was conducted in collaboration with Shawi communities. Together, they worked to characterize the food system of the Shawi in the Peruvian Amazon, climatic and non-climatic drivers of their food security vulnerability to climate change, and identify potential maladaptation trajectories. They found that transformational food security adaptation should include consideration of Indigenous perceptions and priorities, and should be part of Peruvian food and socioeconomic development policies.  Click here for free article (open access).

Citation:

Zavaleta, C., Berrang-Ford, L., Ford, J., Llanos-Cuentas, A., Carcamo, C., Ross, N., Lancha, G., Sherman, M., Harper, S.L., IHACC Research Team. (2018) Multiple non-climatic drivers of food insecurity reinforce climate change maladaptation trajectories among Peruvian Indigenous Shawi in the Amazon. PLoS ONE 13(10): e0205714. Click here for free article (open access).

Abstract:

Background: Climate change is affecting food systems globally, with implications for food security, nutrition, and the health of human populations. There are limited data characterizing the current and future consequences of climate change on local food security for populations already experiencing poor nutritional indicators. Indigenous Amazonian populations have a high reported prevalence of nutritional deficiencies. This paper characterizes the food system of the Shawi of the Peruvian Amazon, climatic and non-climatic drivers of their food security vulnerability to climate change, and identifies potential maladaptation trajectories.

Methods and findings: Semi-structured interviews with key informants (n = 24), three photovoice workshops (n = 17 individuals), transect walks (n = 2), a food calendar exercise, and two community dissemination meetings (n = 30 individuals), were conducted within two Shawi communities in Balsapuerto District in the Peruvian Loreto region between June and September of 2014. The Shawi food system was based on three main food sub-systems (forest, farming and externally-sourced). Shawi reported collective, gendered, and emotional notions related to their food system activities. Climatic and non-climatic drivers of food security vulnerability among Shawi participants acted at proximal and distal levels, and mutually reinforced key maladaptation trajectories, including: 1) a growing population and natural resource degradation coupled with limited opportunities to increase incomes, and 2) a desire for education and deforestation reinforced by governmental social and food interventions.

Conclusion: A series of maladaptive trajectories have the potential to increase social and nutritional inequities for the Shawi. Transformational food security adaptation should include consideration of Indigenous perceptions and priorities, and should be part of Peruvian food and socioeconomic development policies.

New Publication Exploring the Hidden Costs of Enteric Illness in the North

Congratulations to Nia King for her recent publication in PloS One.  In the north, per capita healthcare costs are high. However, given Inuit communities’ unique cultural, economic, and geographic contexts, there is a knowledge gap regarding the context-specific indirect healthcare costs borne by Inuit. Therefore, Nia worked with Northern partners to identify the major indirect costs of enteric illness, and explore factors associated with these indirect costs, in Rigolet, Canada.

Citation:

King, N., Vriezen, R., Edge, V.L., Ford, J., Wood, M., IHACC Research Team, Harper, S.L. (2018). The hidden costs: Identification of indirect costs associated with acute gastrointestinal illness in an Inuit community. PloS One, 13(5), e0196990.  Click here for free article (open access).

Abstract:

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. This study aimed to identify the major indirect costs of AGI, and explore factors associated with these indirect costs, in the Inuit community of Rigolet, Canada, in order to develop a case-based context-specific study framework that can be used to evaluate these costs.

Methods: A mixed methods study design and community-based methods were used. Qualitative in-depth, group, and case interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify and describe indirect costs of AGI specific to Rigolet. Data from two quantitative cross-sectional retrospective surveys were analyzed using univariable regression models to examine potential associations between predictor variables and the indirect costs.

Results/Significance: The most notable indirect costs of AGI that should be incorporated into cost-of-illness evaluations were the tangible costs related to missing paid employment and subsistence activities, as well as the intangible costs associated with missing community and cultural events. Seasonal cost variations should also be considered. This study was intended to inform cost-of-illness studies conducted in Rigolet and other similar research settings. These results contribute to a better understanding of the economic impacts of AGI on Rigolet residents, which could be used to help identify priority areas and resource allocation for public health policies and programs.