Nunavik’s second Inuit health survey now underway

Until early October, the CCGS Amundsen will visit Nunavik’s 14 communities for the Qanuilirpitaa? 2017 Inuit health survey. (FILE PHOTO)

If you hear a knock on your door in Nunavik between now and early October, you might come face-to-face with a worker from the Qanuilirpitaa health survey, which got underway Aug. 19 in Kuujjaraapik and will wind up Oct. 5 in Kuujjuaq.

Qanuilirpitaa organizers say that, when they stop by, they hope you’ll welcome them and say yes to participating in the regional survey, which will look at the health of people in all communities in Nunavik and what should be done to improve everyone’s well-being.

When you meet with them, you can expect to sign a consent form before participating in the survey and, after that, to be asked questions about your social well-being.

If you participate, your name will be put in a draw to win free airline tickets: Air Inuit has donated 14 pairs of airline tickets to be used within Nunavik that will be drawn among participants in each community, while First Air has donated a pair of tickets for a flight from Kuujjuaq to Montreal that will be drawn at the end of the survey.

The rest of the survey involves heading out to the Canadian Coast Guard’s red-and-white research icebreaker, the Amundsen.

When the ship is in your community, you’ll hop on a zodiac, helicopter or barge to head out to the ship where you’ll meet about 40 nurses, researchers, medical technicians, dentists and interviewers who will offer you full physical and oral check-ups.

Other tests will examine your lungs to look at their overall health and whether you have asthma or other respiratory problems.

You’ll also supply urine, blood and stool samples which will be sent for laboratory analysis to check out your kidneys, liver, digestive system and also determine whether if you have allergies or nutritional deficiencies and whether you have been exposed to contaminants.

If a medical test does detect something wrong, you will receive immediate medical attention: in 2004, examinations detected breast cancer in a few of the women who then received treatment, an information sheet on the Qanuilirpitaa study said.

In 2017, special attention will also be given to men’s health and try to determine why men often don’t get treatment.

In addition to the follow-up of participants, aged 30 and over, from 2004, 1,000 more Inuit between 16 and 30 years old will be invited to participate, with 300 more in the 30-plus age group.

The survey will assess the high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, suicides, violence and other issues affecting youth in Nunavik, where roughly 70-per cent of the population is younger than 35 years of age.

The 2017 survey also comes with a slightly different name—Qanuilirpitaa? (How are we now?) instead of Qanuippitaa? (How are we?) from 2004.

This $9.2 million survey is a collaboration between the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec and researchers from CHU de Québec Research Centre-Université Laval.

“It’s been a long process planning and preparing this survey so it is great to see it come to fruition. This survey is a product of partnerships and will provide very important tools for Nunavik to continue in its efforts to be proactive about health issues and community wellness,” said Minnie Grey, the executive director of the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services and president of the Qanuilirpitaa Steering Committee.

The Kativik Regional Government and Makivik Corp. are also helping to cover the survey’s costs, with the KRG providing $1 million and Makivik $500,000, the health board said in its information on the survey.

The Kativik School Board will cover costs for projects aimed at Inuit students in the fields of health and science.

Ottawa has also earmarked about $469,000 for the elements of the survey related to exposure to contaminants and an additional $100,000 for this current year.

Other money comes from Quebec’s health and social services department, Health Canada, Arctic Net and the Amundsen Science Ship Time Fund.

Members of the Qarjuit Youth Council also plan to volunteer to promote the survey.

Local leaders, such as mayors, councillors, and regional and community organizations, have been invited to collaborate and to promote the survey, while employers are encouraged to allow their employees to take paid time off work to participate.

Schools are being asked to allow students to come on board the ship during school hours.

Child care centres may extend their opening hours to accommodate survey participants with young children.

Organizers of the survey have also asked communities to try not to schedule special activities when the ship is in town.

More information is available on the survey website and you can also follow the Facebook page where videos, pictures and commentaries will be downloaded.

The 2004 Qanuippitaa survey had an impact, leading to improved public health policies and programs in Nunavik, in particular, with respect to diet.

That’s after the survey found Nunavimmiut lacked vitamin D, iron and calcium and ate a diet loaded with trans fats, sugar, salt and contaminants. This prompted more nutrition programs to encourage a diet that’s healthier, less toxic and more sustainable, and to fight anemia.

Nunavik child care centres already offer iron-rich menus and promote country foods.

A 1992 Nunavik health survey reported a high level of lead content in the participants’ blood samples. Using this information, Nunavik’s public health department determined it was the same type of lead used in shotgun ammunition.

So health officials asked stores to stop selling cartridges with lead shot and sell cartridges with steel shot instead. The levels of lead in the blood of Nunavik children have since dropped off.

The 2017 Qanuilirpitaa survey takes place in:

• Kuujjuaraapik: Aug. 19 to Aug. 21

• Umiujaq: Aug. 22 to Aug. 23

• Inukjuak: Aug. 24 to Aug. 29

• Puvirnituq: Aug. 30 to Sept. 4

• Akulivik: Sept. 5 to Sept. 6

• Ivujivik: Sept. 7

• Salluit: Sept. 8 to Sept. 12

• Kangiqsujjuaq: Sept. 13 to Sept. 16

• Quaqtaq: Sept. 17

• Kangirsuk: Sept 18 to Sept. 19

• Aupaluk: Sept. 20

• Tasiujaq: Sept. 21

• Kangiqsualujjuaq: Sept. 22 to Sept. 25

• Kuujjuaq: Sept. 26 to Oct. 5