IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v75y2012i3p538-547.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

“From this place and of this place:” Climate change, sense of place, and health in Nunatsiavut, Canada

Author

Listed:
  • Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee
  • Harper, Sherilee L.
  • Ford, James D.
  • Landman, Karen
  • Houle, Karen
  • Edge, Victoria L.

Abstract

As climate change impacts are felt around the globe, people are increasingly exposed to changes in weather patterns, wildlife and vegetation, and water and food quality, access and availability in their local regions. These changes can impact human health and well-being in a variety of ways: increased risk of foodborne and waterborne diseases; increased frequency and distribution of vector-borne disease; increased mortality and injury due to extreme weather events and heat waves; increased respiratory and cardiovascular disease due to changes in air quality and increased allergens in the air; and increased susceptibility to mental and emotional health challenges. While climate change is a global phenomenon, the impacts are experienced most acutely in place; as such, a sense of place, place-attachment, and place-based identities are important indicators for climate-related health and adaptation. Representing one of the first qualitative case studies to examine the connections among climate change, a changing sense of place, and health in an Inuit context, this research draws data from a multi-year community-driven case study situated in the Inuit community of Rigolet, Nunatsiavut, Canada. Data informing this paper were drawn from the narrative analysis of 72 in-depth interviews conducted from November 2009 to October 2010, as well as from the descriptive analysis of 112 questionnaires from a survey in October 2010 (95% response rate). The findings illustrated that climate change is negatively affecting feelings of place attachment by disrupting hunting, fishing, foraging, trapping, and traveling, and changing local landscapes—changes which subsequently impact physical, mental, and emotional health and well-being. These results also highlight the need to develop context-specific climate-health planning and adaptation programs, and call for an understanding of place-attachment as a vital indicator of health and well-being and for climate change to be framed as an important determinant of health.

Suggested Citation

  • Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee & Harper, Sherilee L. & Ford, James D. & Landman, Karen & Houle, Karen & Edge, Victoria L., 2012. "“From this place and of this place:” Climate change, sense of place, and health in Nunatsiavut, Canada," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(3), pages 538-547.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:75:y:2012:i:3:p:538-547
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.043
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953612003255
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.043?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lehti, Venla & Niemelä, Solja & Hoven, Christina & Mandell, Donald & Sourander, Andre, 2009. "Mental health, substance use and suicidal behaviour among young indigenous people in the Arctic: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 1194-1203, October.
    2. Frumkin, H. & Hess, J. & Luber, G. & Malilay, J. & McGeehin, M., 2008. "Climate change: The public health response," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(3), pages 435-445.
    3. Macintyre, Sally & Ellaway, Anne & Cummins, Steven, 2002. "Place effects on health: how can we conceptualise, operationalise and measure them?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 125-139, July.
    4. Helen Berry & Kathryn Bowen & Tord Kjellstrom, 2010. "Climate change and mental health: a causal pathways framework," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 55(2), pages 123-132, April.
    5. Cummins, Steven & Curtis, Sarah & Diez-Roux, Ana V. & Macintyre, Sally, 2007. "Understanding and representing 'place' in health research: A relational approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(9), pages 1825-1838, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Emanuelsen, Kristin & Pearce, Tristan & Oakes, Jill & Harper, Sherilee L. & Ford, James D., 2020. "Sewing and Inuit women's health in the Canadian Arctic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    2. Alexandra Sawatzky & Ashlee Cunsolo & Andria Jones-Bitton & Dan Gillis & Michele Wood & Charlie Flowers & Inez Shiwak & Sherilee L. Harper, 2020. "“The best scientists are the people that’s out there”: Inuit-led integrated environment and health monitoring to respond to climate change in the Circumpolar North," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 45-66, May.
    3. Petra Tschakert & Jon Barnett & Neville Ellis & Carmen Lawrence & Nancy Tuana & Mark New & Carmen Elrick‐Barr & Ram Pandit & David Pannell, 2017. "Climate change and loss, as if people mattered: values, places, and experiences," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(5), September.
    4. Harper, Sherilee L. & Edge, Victoria L. & Ford, James & Thomas, M. Kate & McEwen, Scott A., 2015. "Lived experience of acute gastrointestinal illness in Rigolet, Nunatsiavut: “Just suffer through it”," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 86-98.
    5. Jason R. Holley & Katherine A. McComas & Catherine E. Lambert & Natalie P. Snider & Grace K. Tucker, 2022. "Responding to flood risk in Louisiana: the roles of place attachment, emotions, and location," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 113(1), pages 615-640, August.
    6. Durkalec, Agata & Furgal, Chris & Skinner, Mark W. & Sheldon, Tom, 2015. "Climate change influences on environment as a determinant of Indigenous health: Relationships to place, sea ice, and health in an Inuit community," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 136, pages 17-26.
    7. Nia King & Rachael Vriezen & Victoria L Edge & James Ford & Michele Wood & IHACC Research Team & Rigolet Inuit Community Government & Sherilee Harper, 2018. "The hidden costs: Identification of indirect costs associated with acute gastrointestinal illness in an Inuit community," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(5), pages 1-21, May.
    8. Morton Ninomiya, Melody E. & Pollock, Nathaniel J., 2017. "Reconciling community-based Indigenous research and academic practices: Knowing principles is not always enough," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 28-36.
    9. Katy Davis & James D. Ford & Claire H. Quinn & Anuszka Mosurska & Melanie Flynn & IHACC Research Team & Sherilee L. Harper, 2022. "Shifting Safeties and Mobilities on the Land in Arctic North America: A Systematic Approach to Identifying the Root Causes of Disaster," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-23, June.
    10. Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson & Anna Hoad & Mei L. Trueba, 2024. "‘My appetite and mind would go’: Inuit perceptions of (im)mobility and wellbeing loss under climate change across Inuit Nunangat in the Canadian Arctic," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-20, December.
    11. Bélisle, Annie Claude & Wapachee, Alice & Asselin, Hugo, 2021. "From landscape practices to ecosystem services: Landscape valuation in Indigenous contexts," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    12. Ellis, Neville R. & Albrecht, Glenn A., 2017. "Climate change threats to family farmers' sense of place and mental wellbeing: A case study from the Western Australian Wheatbelt," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 161-168.
    13. Brubacher, Laura Jane & Dewey, Cate E. & Cunsolo, Ashlee & Humphries, Sally & Healey Akearok, Gwen K. & Gong, Crystal & Harper, Sherilee L., 2020. "Mapping the maternal health research landscape in Nunavut: A systematic search & critical review of methodology," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 262(C).
    14. Laura Cameron & Dave Courchene & Sabina Ijaz & Ian Mauro, 2021. "‘A change of heart’: Indigenous perspectives from the Onjisay Aki Summit on climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 1-21, February.
    15. Megan J. Grace & Jen Dickie & Phil Bartie & Caroline Brown & David M. Oliver, 2023. "Understanding Health Outcomes from Exposure to Blue Space Resources: Towards a Mixed Methods Framework for Analysis," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-20, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mitchell, Richard & Dujardin, Claire & Popham, Frank & Farfan Portet, Maria-Isabel & Thomas, Isabelle & Lorant, Vincent, 2011. "Using matched areas to explore international differences in population health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(8), pages 1113-1122.
    2. Spielman, Seth E. & Yoo, Eun-hye, 2009. "The spatial dimensions of neighborhood effects," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1098-1105, March.
    3. Garthwaite, Kayleigh & Bambra, Clare, 2017. "“How the other half live”: Lay perspectives on health inequalities in an age of austerity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 268-275.
    4. Anna-Karin Ivert & Marie Torstensson Levander & Juan Merlo, 2013. "Adolescents' Utilisation of Psychiatric Care, Neighbourhoods and Neighbourhood Socioeconomic Deprivation: A Multilevel Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(11), pages 1-1, November.
    5. Anna Yusa & Peter Berry & June J.Cheng & Nicholas Ogden & Barrie Bonsal & Ronald Stewart & Ruth Waldick, 2015. "Climate Change, Drought and Human Health in Canada," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-54, July.
    6. Belon, Ana Paula & Nieuwendyk, Laura M. & Vallianatos, Helen & Nykiforuk, Candace I.J., 2014. "How community environment shapes physical activity: Perceptions revealed through the PhotoVoice method," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 10-21.
    7. Curtis, Sarah & Cunningham, Niall & Pearce, Jamie & Congdon, Peter & Cherrie, Mark & Atkinson, Sarah, 2021. "Trajectories in mental health and socio-spatial conditions in a time of economic recovery and austerity: A longitudinal study in England 2011–17," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    8. Durkalec, Agata & Furgal, Chris & Skinner, Mark W. & Sheldon, Tom, 2015. "Climate change influences on environment as a determinant of Indigenous health: Relationships to place, sea ice, and health in an Inuit community," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 136, pages 17-26.
    9. Petteway, Ryan J. & Mujahid, Mahasin & Allen, Amani & Morello-Frosch, Rachel, 2019. "The body language of place: A new method for mapping intergenerational “geographies of embodiment” in place-health research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 51-63.
    10. Valesca S. M. Venhof & Carolyn Stephens & Pim Martens, 2024. "Voices from the North: Exploring Sámi People’s Perspectives on Environmental Change and Mental Well-Being: A Systematic Literature Review," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-21, June.
    11. Shankardass, Ketan & Robertson, Colin & Shaughnessy, Krystelle & Sykora, Martin & Feick, Rob, 2019. "A unified ecological framework for studying effects of digital places on well-being," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 119-127.
    12. Cannuscio, Carolyn C. & Weiss, Eve E. & Fruchtman, Hannah & Schroeder, Jeannette & Weiner, Janet & Asch, David A., 2009. "Visual epidemiology: Photographs as tools for probing street-level etiologies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 553-564, August.
    13. Petrasek MacDonald, Joanna & Cunsolo Willox, Ashlee & Ford, James D. & Shiwak, Inez & Wood, Michele, 2015. "Protective factors for mental health and well-being in a changing climate: Perspectives from Inuit youth in Nunatsiavut, Labrador," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 133-141.
    14. Bécares, Laia & Nazroo, James & Albor, Christo & Chandola, Tarani & Stafford, Mai, 2012. "Examining the differential association between self-rated health and area deprivation among white British and ethnic minority people in England," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(4), pages 616-624.
    15. Juan Merlo & Philippe Wagner & Nermin Ghith & George Leckie, 2016. "An Original Stepwise Multilevel Logistic Regression Analysis of Discriminatory Accuracy: The Case of Neighbourhoods and Health," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(4), pages 1-31, April.
    16. Ivory, Vivienne C. & Collings, Sunny C. & Blakely, Tony & Dew, Kevin, 2011. "When does neighbourhood matter? Multilevel relationships between neighbourhood social fragmentation and mental health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(12), pages 1993-2002, June.
    17. Petrović, Ana & Manley, David & van Ham, Maarten, 2018. "Freedom from the Tyranny of Neighbourhood: Rethinking Socio-Spatial Context Effects," IZA Discussion Papers 11416, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Meijer, Mathias & Röhl, Jeannette & Bloomfield, Kim & Grittner, Ulrike, 2012. "Do neighborhoods affect individual mortality? A systematic review and meta-analysis of multilevel studies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(8), pages 1204-1212.
    19. Santana, Paula & Santos, Rita & Nogueira, Helena, 2009. "The link between local environment and obesity: A multilevel analysis in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(4), pages 601-609, February.
    20. Andrews, Gavin J. & Hall, Edward & Evans, Bethan & Colls, Rachel, 2012. "Moving beyond walkability: On the potential of health geography," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(11), pages 1925-1932.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:75:y:2012:i:3:p:538-547. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.