science
New study: Why Does Diabetes Affect Sami Areas More Severely?
The prevalence of diabetes is high in several Sami municipalities in Northern Norway. Now researchers hope that a new study will explain the reason for the high numbers.
Published
Modified
Earlier findings from the Saminor 2 health survey, a project at the Centre for Sami Health Research (SSHF), show that the prevalence of diabetes is high in several Sami areas in Northern Norway.
The analyses from 2012 to 2014 documented that in certain municipalities, over ten percent of residents aged between 40 and 79 had type 2 diabetes.
Unclear cause
The report revealed that Sami participants had a slightly higher prevalence of both pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes than other residents in the same areas. However, the differences were small between ethnic groups, and generally, the risk profile was relatively similar between Sami and non-Sami.
Age, lifestyle, diet, and increasing obesity are usually highlighted as possible explanations for diabetes, but it remains unclear why Sami settlement areas have such high diabetes rates.
"Diabetes is increasing globally, and lifestyle and diet play a significant role. But in this case, we still know little, especially regarding the hereditary aspect. We cannot claim that it is only lifestyle and diet that explain the high rates, but we hope that Saminor 3 can provide us with answers", says Ann Ragnhild Broderstad.
She is the academic leader at the Centre for Sami Health Research at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, and project leader for the Saminor Health and Living Conditions Survey.
Larger and broader mapping
The data collection for Saminor 3 was completed just three months ago. The new figures are expected to provide an updated picture of the health status in Sami areas and could be crucial for how municipalities and health authorities work on prevention in the future.
While Saminor 2 covered 24 municipalities in Northern Norway that received questionnaires, ten of which also participated in clinical data collection, the new survey includes a total of 49 municipalities, from the inlands in the south to Finnmark in the north. Saminor 3 also includes both questionnaires and clinical collection in all 49 municipalities.
By also examining more municipalities in northern and central Norway, researchers hope to find out whether differences in disease prevalence are influenced by geography, age, gender, ethnicity, or heritage.
Together with new findings, the research can be used as a tool to develop tailored health services in Sami and multi-ethnic municipalities.
Scepticism in recruitment
Recruitment for Saminor 3 has been good but challenging, says Broderstad. The significant expansion in the number of municipalities meant that the researchers were unknown to many.
"Several wondered who we were and why we came. It required a lot of explanation and good dialogues", she says.
The ethnic aspect also created uncertainty in some places. Questions about language and ethnic background made some participants sceptical about the survey coming from the Centre for Sami Health Research.
"We are still working in a terrain where challenging thoughts linger regarding ethnicity and the aftermath of the Norwegianisation policy."
At the same time, she emphasises that they experienced a lot of positive feedback in all the municipalities.
"We are very grateful for all the help from the municipalities, local residents, and all the participants who showed up. They contribute to valuable knowledge for the future and the healthcare system."
