International Union for Circumpolar Health Ministry of Public Health and Social Development of RF Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences Medical Polar Fund “Science” The Northern Forum

Abstracts

The North place in geo planetary world. Urbanization traditions and problems

Background: Research on health information processes of Inuit has been gathered almost exclusively from the health care delivery model of Inuit in the north or from Inuit traveling to cities for medical treatment. This work applies to those Inuit in rural areas. Less is known about the 25% of Inuit who are living in urban areas and potentially are able to access local health care services. The health information processes of urban Inuit remains an insufficiently developed area of research by public health and medical practitioners. The current study examines health information use and dissemination strategies within an urban Inuit community. Specifically, it presents the evaluation of a CD-ROM multimedia health information tool developed in the community.

Methods: Through a collaborative partnership with the Inuit Family Resource Centre, a series of key informant interviews and focus groups were conducted to gather information on specific health information processes. A health information tool was then developed that capitalized on the existing health information structure in the community. A series of pre-post questionnaires and interviews were then conducted to evaluate the tool.

Findings: Major themes of health information processes included: the importance of visual learning, community Elders, and cultural interpreters; community cohesion; and the Inuit and non-Inuit distinction. The core sources of health information are family members and sources from within the Inuit community. The principle dissemination strategy for health information was direct communication, through one-on-one interactions or in groups. After viewing the tool, participants reported that they would recommend the tool. They also reported the tool content was clear and more similar to talking to someone than they initially thought.

Conclusion: This community-specific model of knowledge translation shows substantial differences from current mainstream models. Furthermore, initial evaluation of CD-ROM indicates positive evaluation and suggests the tool is an effective medium to transmit health messages. The results from this urban sample suggest that additional work is needed to bridge the gap in the dissemination health information between the North and the South. That is, there is a need to foster greater collaboration and sharing of traditional information between circumpolar regions and urban areas.

Note. Abstracts are published in author's edition

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Last update: 06-Jul-2012 (11:52:05)