Chronic Dis Can
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The incidence of suicide among the populations of the Northwest Territories (NWT) is notably higher than in the rest of Canada. A comparison of three five-year time periods between 1982 and 1996 reveals an increasing incidence rate, particularly for Nunavat, the eastern half of the NWT, occupied primarily by Inuit people. ⋯ Thirty-six percent of those who committed suicide had experienced a recent family or relationship breakup, and twenty-one percent were facing criminal proceedings. Understanding the impact of these and other reported circumstances on the imminent risk of suicide requires further investigation.
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Using the 1991 Canadian life table and estimates of the prevalence of dementia from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, we have partitioned the expectation of life at age 65 into years spent in the community and in institutions, with and without different forms of dementia. The total expectation of life for women was 26% greater than that for men, but women's expectations of life with dementia and of life in institutions were more than twice the corresponding expectations for men. The difference between sexes was greater for Alzheimer's disease than for vascular and other types of dementia.
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This paper discusses the advantages of adopting forms of participatory action research with aboriginal Canadians. Using a recent qualitative study of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus among the James Bay Cree, it outlines and discusses the methodology used to construct a form of action research that focused on what meaning the Cree gave to the rising incidence and prevalence of diabetes. ⋯ This facilitated the development of a Cree perspective on diabetes and also allowed the Cree members of the study to acquire a grounding in the knowledge and skills necessary for forms of qualitative research that can inform both policy and practice in health care and related areas. In particular, the paper discusses how the study was constructed and what lessons can be drawn from this form of collaborative inquiry.