NEWS A unique study published in The Lancet provides evidence of poorer health and social outcomes for Indigenous and tribal peoples around the world. The study is partly based on research led by Per Axelsson, associate professor in History at Umeå University, who studies the effect of colonisation on health of Indigenous peoples in Sweden, Australia and New Zealand funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation and the Swedish Research Council.
The article in The Lancet is unique thanks to being the first in attempting to establish a global survey of the health of Indigenous peoples where 23 countries and 28 Indigenous and tribal peoples are included.
The project involved a large number of researchers and the main responsibility for the article and its coordination rested on Ian Anderson at the University of Melbourne. On the Swedish side, Per Axelsson at Umeå University led the work with the help of Peter Sköld and Sofia Tano.
“The article is based on population data exploring certain key variables such as life expectancy, infant mortality, level of education, economic status etc. In general, the results indicate that Indigenous peoples unfortunately have poorer health than non-Indigenous peoples. Important to note though, is that this is not a universal truth; there are examples of Indigenous peoples whose wellbeing is just as good or better than the national population at large,” says Per Axelsson.
Mental health among the Sami population in Sweden has caught widespread attention lately, and this has meant that the Sami Parliament and the Swedish Government has chosen to act.
“Still, we haven’t been able to create an epidemiologic overview of the indigenous Sami people’s health conditions in Sweden. Despite having one of the most sophisticated population database systems in the world, we’ve been unable to collect reliable data on the Sami population,” says Per Axelsson.
“The study also recommends that countries, such as Sweden, should develop Indigenous data systems that ensure that Indigenous peoples’ values, health concepts and priorities are captured in a meaningful way. These systems should be developed in close with Indigenous peoples.”
“The field of Indigenous Health is interdisciplinary and history is one of several very central parts. It feels very rewarding to contribute to such a prestigious journal as The Lancet. It has also been very instructive to take part in the work process where we’ve worked closely with the senior editor of the journal.”
“Besides, this is a study that The Lancet claims willing to pursue again in a few years. That’s just another reason why it would be beneficial to continue to strengthen the Sami health work in Sápmi and Sweden,” continues Per Axelsson.
Read the digital publication in The Lancet
Per Axelsson, associate professor at the Centre for Sami Research at Umeå UniversityPhone: +46 90-786 71 95
Email: per.axelsson@umu.se
Caption: Per Axelsson
Editor: Anna Lawrence