Health-Environment Relationships Quiz

• Objective measurement of disease involves observable symptoms or conditions, while subjective measurement arises from individual perception and experience.

• Between 1968-1991, cancer rates among Ontario First Nations were higher than the general population.

• In 2013, 58% of respondents reported "Excellent" to "Good" health, but self-reported health may not accurately reflect morbidity and mortality in all groups.

• Indigenous residents in some areas have better self-rated health than expected given their health status, while urban Indigenous residents have poorer self-rated health.

• Self-reported health is a good indicator of morbidity and mortality in homogeneous populations but may be less accurate in some groups.

• Reliability and validity are important aspects of 'data' quality in research.

• Science is a systematic, controlled, empirical, and critical investigation of propositions about natural phenomena.

• The scientific method requires a clear and defined question, consistent application, and a means of assessing the truth of the hypothesis.

• The scientific method and knowledge are not infallible, and science must adapt to new evidence.

• The reductionist approach to understanding complex issues involves breaking down complex systems into their parts or simpler constituents.

• Indigenous peoples have long-standing relationships with the environment and may offer valuable insights into complex systems.

• Indigenous Knowledge is an important and valuable form of knowledge that can complement and enhance scientific understanding.

• Health-Environment relationships can be explored using various approaches, including the Environmental Health Hazards Model and the Adapted Environmental Health Hazards/Benefits Model.

• The Adapted Environmental Health Hazards/Benefits Model considers both hazards and benefits to health from various environmental factors.

• Recommended readings for further information on the topics discussed include works by Frumkin, Yassi, and others.

• Motor vehicles are a common mode of transportation, connecting homes and workplaces

• Psychosocial hazards related to motor vehicles include stress, lifestyle disruption, social change effects, marginalization, and unemployment

• Benefits of motor vehicles include stress relief, balance, identity, and cultural connection

• Approaches to exploring health-environment relationships include: Determinants of Health, Ecosystem/Socio-Ecological, and EcoHealth

• Determinants of Health approach focuses on income and social status, social support networks, education and literacy, employment conditions, social environments, physical environments, personal health practices and coping skills, healthy child development, and biology and genetic endowment

• The Ecosystem/Socio-Ecological approach sees humans as living in the biosphere as a home, emphasizing the interactivity of biota and environment over a certain time period

• The EcoHealth Approach involves the collaboration of researchers, specialists, community members, and decision-makers, prioritizing transdisciplinarity, participation, and equity

• EcoHealth studies often lead to more socially robust solutions due to the involvement of all stakeholders and a transdisciplinary approach

• EcoHealth Approach is particularly suitable for exploring the relationships between Indigenous populations and their environments, emphasizing the reciprocal relationship between humans and nature, complexity and interconnectedness, and the recognition of others' ways of knowing and seeing the problem

• Planetary Health Approach is another approach that explores health-environment relationships, focusing on a global perspective and the interconnectedness of health, environmental, and socioeconomic challenges.

Recommended readings:

• Chandler and Lalonde, 1998 and 2004, on Indigenous Social Determinants of Health
• Maher, 1999, on traditional understandings of illness and causation.

Indigenous health frameworks, such as the Maori Health framework, prioritize the importance of mental, physical, family/social, and spiritual dimensions of health. The Maori Mental Health Outcomes (MMHO) framework was developed to measure mental health outcomes associated with interventions for Maori based on these dimensions.