Community-Based Research as a Mechanism to Reduce Environmental Health Disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Case Studies of STAR Tribal Environmental Research Projects
2.1. Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
Studies | Cultural Relevance | Mutual Respect and Trust | Adequate and Sustained Resources | Sustainable Partnerships |
---|---|---|---|---|
Swinomish Indian Tribal Community: Indigenous Health Indicators | Swinomish focused on the lack of tribal-specific health indicators in health assessments with the goal of improving how tribal health is evaluated and addressed for themselves and Tribes. | Swinomish designed and enacted the study with STAR funds awarded directly to the Tribe. | The funding provided additional time and resources needed to enact the identified research that was additional to the Tribe’s established programs and operations. | Four other Coast Salish Tribes partnered with Swinomish to refine and pilot-test the Indigenous Health Indicators, strengthening research relationships between the Tribes. |
Apsaalooke (Crow Tribe): Environmental Health—Water Quality | Apsaalooke people identified contaminated water as their greatest environmental health concern. | The Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, composed of Tribal stakeholders, recruited academic partners, and initiated, guided and set the priorities for our work. | Federal and state funding (for infrastructure) continues to flow directly to the tribe, in part as a result of compelling data from our studies. New funding is helping with intervention research. | The partnership between the Apsaalooke people, Little Big Horn College and MSU continues to build—with an increasing focus on solutions to environmental health needs and pipelines into college, through graduate education. |
Alaska Native Tribal Communities: Wild Berry Resources | AN communities were concerned that climate change may alter the traditional medicinal value and/or availability of indigenous berry resources. | Community councils from Akutan, Seldovia, and Point Hope held multiple community forums to discuss outcomes with project team and to craft synopsis for Tribal publications. | Funding was sufficient to equip each AN community with bioassay kits for up to 2 years of follow up work in local schools. Subsequent USDA funding was obtained to aid in science curriculum development using Native resources. | Partnerships continue with UI, NCSU and Rutgers with ANTHC (Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium) and local school leaders in AN communities. |
Yupik Alaska Native Maternal Biomonitoring Program: Assessing Food Safety and Adaptive Strategies | Yupik residents of southwestern Alaska requested an investigation of risks and benefits of their traditional diet, and an investigation of maternal and infant contaminant and micronutrient exposure. | The tribal organizations designed their own study, and applied for EPA funding, which was initially awarded in an interagency agreement with the IHS, and subsequently with a STAR grant. | The funding was supplemented with tribal organization funding, and together, the funding was adequate. | The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is actively planning a long-term maternal monitoring program, with methodological modifications to reduce cost. |
2.1.1. Background
2.1.2. Approach
- (1)
- Do the rankings/weightings make sense in terms of expressing accurately what participants feel is important?
- (2)
- Are there distinctions among participants in each workshop in terms of how the indicators were ranked (an assumption of equality between the IHIs would not present an accurate picture of the views of community members)?
- (3)
- Are there distinctions between the two hypothetical scenarios in each workshop (an identical result for the two scenarios would not demonstrate sufficient sensitivity in the measures)?
2.2. Apsaalooke (Crow Tribe)
Approach
2.3. Alaska Native Tribal Communities and Wild Berry Resources (PI and Contributor: Mary Ann Lila)
2.3.1. Background
2.3.2. Approach
2.4. Traditional Food Safety in a Warming Climate: A Brief Case Study Describing a Tribally-Designed Yupik Alaska Native Maternal Biomonitoring Program to Assess Food Safety and Facilitate Development of an Adaptive Strategy (PI and Contributor: James Berner)
2.4.1. Background
2.4.2. Approach
3. A Decade of Tribal Environmental Health Research: Results and Impacts from EPA’s Extramural Grants and Fellowship Programs
4. Conclusions and Recommendations
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Disclaimer
Conflicts of Interest
References
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McOliver, C.A.; Camper, A.K.; Doyle, J.T.; Eggers, M.J.; Ford, T.E.; Lila, M.A.; Berner, J.; Campbell, L.; Donatuto, J. Community-Based Research as a Mechanism to Reduce Environmental Health Disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 4076-4100. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120404076
McOliver CA, Camper AK, Doyle JT, Eggers MJ, Ford TE, Lila MA, Berner J, Campbell L, Donatuto J. Community-Based Research as a Mechanism to Reduce Environmental Health Disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2015; 12(4):4076-4100. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120404076
Chicago/Turabian StyleMcOliver, Cynthia Agumanu, Anne K. Camper, John T. Doyle, Margaret J. Eggers, Tim E. Ford, Mary Ann Lila, James Berner, Larry Campbell, and Jamie Donatuto. 2015. "Community-Based Research as a Mechanism to Reduce Environmental Health Disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 12, no. 4: 4076-4100. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120404076