Innulluartaarneq (Having the Good Life Study)

Montana State University, Bozeman MT

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT The purpose of Innuluataarneq research project is to develop, implement, evaluate, and disseminate a public health intervention in Greenland that focuses on Greenlandic ways of understanding and knowing about healthy behavior and sexually transmitted infections (STI). The target population for Innuluataarneq is 15 to 19 year old adolescents and their parents. Innuluataarneq will be conducted as an interdisciplinary international, collaborative community based participatory research (CBPR) study involving researchers and students from the United States, Canada, Denmark and Greenland. Innuluataarneq will be implemented in three communities in Greenland: Nuuk, Sisimut, and Tasiilaq. There are two components to Innulataarneq: 1) Component 1 will build capacity within Greenland to conduct CBPR projects that enhance community ownership in reducing STIs and empower communities in Greenland to partner with academic institutions to conduct research that resonates with Greenlandic knowledge and social and cultural practices; and 2) Component 2 will provide a socially and culturally relevant health education intervention to adolescents 15 to 19 years old and their parents in order to enhance awareness of STIs and their long term consequences There are several elements to the intellectual merit of Innulataarneq. First, little is known about how cultural practices affect the transmission of STIs in the Arctic. Innulataarneq builds on our current STI research in Greenland, The Greenland Sexual Health Study, which is gathering information on the individual behaviors, social determinants, and cultural, historical, and political factors influencing the country?s high STI rates. Second, CBPR has not been practiced in Greenland to address any social science or health question. Innulataarneq?s CBPR approach advances our knowledge and understanding of the practical application of CBPR methodologies in a socially and culturally diverse Arctic community such as Greenland. Third, the reproductive future of Greenland is in jeopardy due to the countries high STI rates and low birth rates. Innulataarneq will explore Greenlandic ways of promoting educational efforts to prevent STI?s in order to secure Greenland?s reproductive future. The relevance and importance of Innulataarneq to broader impacts in the field of social sciences and health related fields include the following: 1) Provide experience and training for students from indigenous populations in the United States, Canada and Greenland in the skills, techniques and knowledge needed to carry out community based participatory research on sexual health in Arctic communities; 2) Create a dialogue and build connections between institutions in the United States, Canada, and Greenland to foster a greater understanding of the importance of this health research in the Arctic; 3) Raise awareness about CBPR methods in Greenland, STIs, and culturally relevant ways of addressing this problem in an Arctic country; 4) Promote social science research that addresses health issues in Arctic communities; and 5) Documents and shares Greenlandic traditional knowledge and how it influences sexual behavior in an Arctic community.