-
Social Science & Medicine (1982) Mar 2017Many scholars assert that Indigenous peoples across the globe suffer a disproportionate burden of mental illness. Research indicates that colonialism and its associated... (Review)
Review
Many scholars assert that Indigenous peoples across the globe suffer a disproportionate burden of mental illness. Research indicates that colonialism and its associated processes are important determinants of Indigenous peoples' health internationally. In Canada, despite an abundance of health research documenting inequalities in morbidity and mortality rates for Indigenous peoples, relatively little research has focused on mental health. This paper provides a critical scoping review of the literature related to Indigenous mental health in Canada. We searched eleven databases and two Indigenous health-focused journals for research related to mental health, Indigenous peoples, and Canada, for the years 2006-2016. Over two hundred papers are included in the review and coded according to research theme, population group, and geography. Results demonstrate that the literature is overwhelmingly concerned with issues related to colonialism in mental health services and the prevalence and causes of mental illness among Indigenous peoples in Canada, but with several significant gaps. Mental health research related to Indigenous peoples in Canada overemphasizes suicide and problematic substance use; a more critical use of the concepts of colonialism and historical trauma is advised; and several population groups are underrepresented in research, including Métis peoples and urban or off-reserve Indigenous peoples. The findings are useful in an international context by providing a starting point for discussions, dialogue, and further study regarding mental health research for Indigenous peoples around the world.
Topics: Canada; Cost of Illness; Humans; Mental Disorders; Mental Health; Population Groups; Prevalence
PubMed: 28135694
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.01.021 -
Annals of Epidemiology May 2019The weathering hypothesis states that chronic exposure to social and economic disadvantage leads to accelerated decline in physical health outcomes and could partially...
PURPOSE
The weathering hypothesis states that chronic exposure to social and economic disadvantage leads to accelerated decline in physical health outcomes and could partially explain racial disparities in a wide array of health conditions. This systematic review summarizes the literature empirically testing the weathering hypothesis and assesses the quality of the evidence regarding weathering as a determinant of racial disparities in health.
METHODS
Databases (Web of Science, Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, and Embase) were searched for studies published in English up to July 1, 2017. Studies that tested the weathering hypothesis for any physical health outcome and included at least one socially or economically disadvantaged group (e.g., Blacks) for whom the weathering hypothesis applies were assessed for eligibility. Threats to validity were assessed using the Quality in Prognostic Studies tool.
RESULTS
The 41 included studies were rated as having overall good methodological quality. Most studies found evidence in support of the weathering hypothesis, although the magnitude of support varied by the health outcome and population studied.
CONCLUSIONS
Future evaluations of the weathering hypothesis should include an examination of additional health outcomes and interrogate mechanisms that could link weathering to poor health.
Topics: Ethnicity; Health Status Disparities; Healthcare Disparities; Humans; Population Groups; Social Determinants of Health
PubMed: 30987864
DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2019.02.011 -
Australian Journal of General Practice Jul 2019
Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Healthy Aging; Humans; Population Groups
PubMed: 31256518
DOI: 10.31128/AJGP-07-19-1234e -
Annual Review of Genomics and Human... Aug 2018Hemoglobinopathies are the most common single-gene disorders in the world. Their prevalence is predicted to increase in the future, and low-income... (Review)
Review
Hemoglobinopathies are the most common single-gene disorders in the world. Their prevalence is predicted to increase in the future, and low-income hemoglobinopathy-endemic regions need to manage most of the world's affected persons. International organizations, governments, and other stakeholders have initiated national or regional prevention programs in both endemic and nonendemic countries by performing population screening for α- and β-thalassemia, HbE disease, and sickle cell disease in neonates, adolescents, reproductive-age adults (preconceptionally or in the early antenatal period), and family members of diagnosed cases. The main aim of screening is to reduce the number of affected births and, in the case of sickle cell disease, reduce childhood morbidity and mortality. Screening strategies vary depending on the population group, but a few common screening test methods are universally used. We discuss the salient features of population-screening programs around the globe as well as current and proposed screening test methodologies.
Topics: Child; Female; Hemoglobinopathies; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Population Groups; Population Surveillance; Pregnancy
PubMed: 29751732
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genom-091416-035451 -
American Journal of Public Health Dec 2017To assess the prevalence of abortion among population groups and changes in rates between 2008 and 2014.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the prevalence of abortion among population groups and changes in rates between 2008 and 2014.
METHODS
We used secondary data from the Abortion Patient Survey, the American Community Survey, and the National Survey of Family Growth to estimate abortion rates. We used information from the Abortion Patient Survey to estimate the lifetime incidence of abortion.
RESULTS
Between 2008 and 2014, the abortion rate declined 25%, from 19.4 to 14.6 per 1000 women aged 15 to 44 years. The abortion rate for adolescents aged 15 to 19 years declined 46%, the largest of any group. Abortion rates declined for all racial and ethnic groups but were larger for non-White women than for non-Hispanic White women. Although the abortion rate decreased 26% for women with incomes less than 100% of the federal poverty level, this population had the highest abortion rate of all the groups examined: 36.6. If the 2014 age-specific abortion rates prevail, 24% of women aged 15 to 44 years in that year will have an abortion by age 45 years.
CONCLUSIONS
The decline in abortion was not uniform across all population groups.
Topics: Abortion, Induced; Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Educational Status; Ethnicity; Female; Humans; Incidence; Income; Marital Status; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Racial Groups; United States; Young Adult
PubMed: 29048970
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.304042 -
The Hastings Center Report May 2020Mirroring the set of questions explored in the special report in which this essay appears and through a critical Cree standpoint, this essay poses three provocations...
Mirroring the set of questions explored in the special report in which this essay appears and through a critical Cree standpoint, this essay poses three provocations intended to upend habits of thought relative to notions of goodness, biocitizenship, and the democratization of scientific pursuit. Styled as foreplay, the essay warms the reader up to the desirable possibility of being a bad biocitizen. I briefly establish the colonial conditions under which the fields of genomic science, biomedical research, and bioethics have been made possible. I then offer Indigenous Science, Technology, and Society as an alternative project aimed at disturbing the territorial, political, and morally inflected claims of nation-states and their citizens, research institutions and their researchers, and bioeconomies and their consumers to continue to possess Indigenous territories and to study Indigenous bodies while controlling the bioethical principles, protocols, and policies for doing so. The work of Indigenous STS seeks to break down the bounded knowledges of disciplinary reason and map the networked interrelations of problems inhibiting and solutions strengthening the empowerment of Indigenous peoplehoods.
Topics: Bioethics; Colonialism; Humans; Population Groups
PubMed: 32597529
DOI: 10.1002/hast.1152 -
BMC Cancer Feb 2021South Africa (SA) has experienced a rapid transition in the Human Development Index (HDI) over the past decade, which had an effect on the incidence and mortality rates...
BACKGROUND
South Africa (SA) has experienced a rapid transition in the Human Development Index (HDI) over the past decade, which had an effect on the incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer (CRC). This study aims to provide CRC incidence and mortality trends by population group and sex in SA from 2002 to 2014.
METHODS
Incidence data were extracted from the South African National Cancer Registry and mortality data obtained from Statistics South Africa (STATS SA), for the period 2002 to 2014. Age-standardised incidence rates (ASIR) and age-standardised mortality rates (ASMR) were calculated using the STATS SA mid-year population as the denominator and the Segi world standard population data for standardisation. A Joinpoint regression analysis was computed for the CRC ASIR and ASMR by population group and sex.
RESULTS
A total of 33,232 incident CRC cases and 26,836 CRC deaths were reported during the study period. Of the CRC cases reported, 54% were males and 46% were females, and among deaths reported, 47% were males and 53% were females. Overall, there was a 2.5% annual average percentage change (AAPC) increase in ASIR from 2002 to 2014 (95% CI: 0.6-4.5, p-value < 0.001). For ASMR overall, there was 1.3% increase from 2002 to 2014 (95% CI: 0.1-2.6, p-value < 0.001). The ASIR and ASMR among population groups were stable, with the exception of the Black population group. The ASIR increased consistently at 4.3% for black males (95% CI: 1.9-6.7, p-value < 0.001) and 3.4% for black females (95% CI: 1.5-5.3, p-value < 0.001) from 2002 to 2014, respectively. Similarly, ASMR for black males and females increased by 4.2% (95% CI: 2.0-6.5, p-value < 0.001) and 3.4% (, 95%CI: 2.0-4.8, p-value < 0.01) from 2002 to 2014, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The disparities in the CRC incidence and mortality trends may reflect socioeconomic inequalities across different population groups in SA. The rapid increase in CRC trends among the Black population group is concerning and requires further investigation and increased efforts for cancer prevention, early screening and diagnosis, as well as better access to cancer treatment.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Asian People; Black People; Colorectal Neoplasms; Confidence Intervals; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Incidence; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Registries; Regression Analysis; Sex Distribution; South Africa; White People; Young Adult
PubMed: 33549058
DOI: 10.1186/s12885-021-07853-1 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2021The concept of "race" emerged in the 1600s with the trans-Atlantic slave trade, justifying slavery; it has been used to justify exploitation, denigration and decimation.... (Review)
Review
The concept of "race" emerged in the 1600s with the trans-Atlantic slave trade, justifying slavery; it has been used to justify exploitation, denigration and decimation. Since then, despite contrary scientific evidence, a deeply-rooted belief has taken hold that "race," indicated by, e.g., skin color or facial features, reflects fundamental biological differences. We propose that the term "race" be abandoned, substituting "ethnic group" while retaining "racism," with the goal of dismantling it. Despite scientific consensus that "race" is a social construct, in official U.S. classifications, "Hispanic"/"Latino" is an "ethnicity" while African American/Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, and European American/White are "races." There is no scientific basis for this. Each grouping reflects ancestry in a particular continent/region and shared history, e.g., the genocide and expropriation of Indigenous peoples, African Americans' enslavement, oppression and ongoing disenfranchisement, Latin America's Indigenous roots and colonization. Given migrations over millennia, each group reflects extensive genetic admixture across and within continents/regions. "Ethnicity" evokes social characteristics such as history, language, beliefs, customs. "Race" reinforces notions of inherent biological differences based on physical appearance. While not useful as a biological category, geographic ancestry is a key social category for monitoring and addressing health inequities because of racism's profound influence on health and well-being. We must continue to collect and analyze data on the population groups that have been racialized into socially constructed categories called "races." We must not, however, continue to use that term; it is not the only obstacle to dismantling racism, but it is a significant one.
Topics: Black or African American; Ethnicity; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Racism; United States
PubMed: 34557466
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.689462 -
Archives of Osteoporosis Jul 2018Research on non-communicable diseases (NCD) in Indigenous Australians has mostly focused on diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney or cardiovascular disease. Osteoporosis,... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Research on non-communicable diseases (NCD) in Indigenous Australians has mostly focused on diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney or cardiovascular disease. Osteoporosis, characterised by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, and sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, often co-exist with these common NCDs-the combination of which will disproportionately increase bone fragility and fracture risk and negatively influence cortical and trabecular bone. Furthermore, the social gradient of NCDs, including osteoporosis and fracture, is well-documented, meaning that specific population groups are likely to be at greater risk of poorer health outcomes: Indigenous Australians are one such group.
PURPOSE
This review summarises the findings reported in the literature regarding the muscle and bone health of Indigenous Australians.
FINDINGS
There are limited data regarding the musculoskeletal health of Indigenous Australians; however, areal bone mineral density (aBMD) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is reported to be greater at the hip compared to non-Indigenous Australians. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisations in older Australians, particularly Indigenous Australians, with a great proportion suffering from fall-related fractures. Despite sparse data, it appears that Indigenous men and women have a substantially higher risk of hip fracture at a much younger age compared to non-Indigenous Australians.
CONCLUSION
Data on more detailed musculoskeletal health outcomes are required in Indigenous Australians to better understand fracture risk and to formulate evidence-based strategies for fracture prevention and to minimise the risk of falls.
Topics: Absorptiometry, Photon; Accidental Falls; Aged; Australia; Female; Hip Fractures; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; Osteoporosis; Population Groups; Sarcopenia
PubMed: 30008045
DOI: 10.1007/s11657-018-0493-x -
The European Respiratory Journal Feb 2018
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Humans; Incidence; Population Groups; Population Surveillance; Tuberculosis; Young Adult
PubMed: 29467211
DOI: 10.1183/13993003.00176-2018