The prevalence of psychological distress and its association with ethnic discrimination was examined among 13,703 participants (36 to 79 years of age) in a population-based study of health and living conditions in areas with indigenous Sami, Kven (descendants of Finnish immigrants), and Ethnic Norwegian populations (the SAMINOR study). Sami and Kven males reported greater levels of stress than Ethnic Norwegians. Ethnic discrimination was strongly associated with elevated levels of psychological distress. Results suggest that ethnic discrimination is a major potential risk factor for poor mental health, and may contribute to ethnicity-related differences in mental health between Sami and non-Sami populations.

Objectives. Investigate the association between ethnicity, social factors and self-reported health conditions of Sami and non-Sami Norwegian populations.Study design. Cross-sectional questionnaire....

Circumpolar regions, and the nations within which they reside, have recently gained international attention because of shared and pressing public policy issues such as climate change, resource development, endangered wildlife and sovereignty disputes. In a call for national and circumpolar action on shared areas of concern, the Arctic states health ministers recently met and signed a declaration that identified shared priorities for international cooperation. Among the areas for collaboration raised, the declaration highlighted the importance of enhancing intercultural understanding, promoting culturally appropriate health care delivery and strengthening circumpolar collaboration in culturally appropriate health care delivery. This paper responds to the opportunity for further study to fully understand indigenous values and contexts, and presents these as they may apply to a framework that will support international comparisons and systems improvements within circumpolar regions. We explored the value base of indigenous peoples and provide considerations on how these values might interface with national values, health systems values and value bases between indigenous nations particularly in the context of health system policy-making that is inevitably shared between indigenous communities and jurisdictional or federal governments. Through a mixed methods nominal consensus process, nine values were identified and described: humanity, cultural responsiveness, teaching, nourishment, community voice, kinship, respect, holism and empowerment.

Acculturation is for indigenous peoples related to the process of colonisation over centuries as well as the on-going social transition experienced in the Arctic today. Changing living conditions and lifestyle affect health in numerous ways in Arctic indigenous populations. Self-rated health (SRH) is a relevant variable in primary health care and in general public health assessments and monitoring. Exploring the relationship between acculturation and SRH in indigenous populations having experienced great societal and cultural change is thus of great importance.

Background: Recent research demonstrates that for many indigenous Sami people, experiencing ethnic discrimination is a regular occurrence. The present study was designed to provide estimates of the prevalence of self-reported discrimination in order to identify specific settings where discrimination happened, to identify perpetrators and to examine individuals’ responses to the discrimination. Methods: In 2012, all inhabitants aged between 18 and 69 living in selected municipalities with both Sami and non-Sami settlements in mid- and northern Norway were mailed an invitation to participate in a questionnaire survey covering questions about discrimination (types of discrimination, settings where discrimination happened, and who the perpetrator was). Altogether, 11,600 participated (a response rate of 27 %). Results: In total, 2,496 (21.5 % of the sample) reported discrimination; of these, 29.8 % reported that discrimination happened during the past two years. Ethnic affiliation, age, education level, income and living area were all significantly associated with differences in the frequency of experiencing discrimination. Respondents with a strong Sami affiliation reported the highest levels of discrimination; in total, 50.8 % responded that they had been discriminated against, compared with 14.3 % of the non-Sami respondents (OR=6.16 CI:5.42–7.00). Sami with strong Sami affiliation reported having experienced significantly more discrimination over the past two years more than did the non-Sami respondents (16.5 % vs 4.4 % respectively; p < 0.001; OR=4.15 CI:3.45–4.99). Additionally, Sami respondents reported experiencing discrimination in multiple settings more often than did non-Sami respondents (p < 0.001). Respondents aged between 30 and 49 years, those with a medium high level of education, those with medium household income, and those living in Sami minority areas, reported the highest prevalences of discrimination. In terms of responses to discrimination, 37.6 % reported that they had done something to stop the discrimination, and 19.1 % reported that the discrimination had affected them a lot. Just 1.8 % of those who reported having been discriminated against had been in contact withthe Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombudsman Service in Norway. Conclusion: The findings from this study show that the Sami people still experience high levels of discrimination in Norwegian society. Our findings suggest that interventions specifically designed to prevent discrimination against the indigenous Sami people of Norway should be implemented.