Goodness of Life for Every Alaska Native (GLEAN) Research Study

According to the Center for Disease Control (2015), Alaska Native (AN) and American Indian (AI) peoples smoke at higher rates than almost all other racially ethnic minorities, putting these populations at greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (2012) reports 41% of adult smokers within Alaska are AN, with a staggering 2 in 5 AN people being smokers. Thus, the aim of this study is to target multiple risks in AN smokers for CVD prevention, identify themes associated with quality of life (QOL) that could inform wellness of AN peoples by conducting focus groups, examine subjective health domains in understanding AN access to both Western and indigenous resources, and to understand and mitigate health disparities. A sample of 15 AN participants (6 male, 9 female) with a mean age of 54 were recruited within the Norton Sound region of Alaska. A Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was computed to assess the relationship between Western and indigenous correlates of QOL. There was a positive correlation between community connectedness (CC) and AN identity (r = .66, p = .008) and a negative correlation between CC and poor mental health (r = -.54, p = .037). There was a positive correlation between age of regular tobacco use and CC (r = .77, p = .001) and a negative correlation between age of regular use and poor physical health (r = -.53, p = .044) and depression scores (r = -.60, p = .019). The results suggest indigenous identity could be a critical factor in QOL, cardiovascular risk, and smoking behaviors. A total of 5 focus groups revealed 34 QOL domains, and key ones are as follows: health and happiness, religion/spirituality, acts of self, subsistence, enjoying life, providing, adventure and travelling, sobriety, healing, safety, responsibility, AN lifestyle, traditional foods and values, teaching, hard work, education, enjoying the environment, creature comforts, and family lifestyle, values, and togetherness. These domains were then used to inform which Western and indigenous correlates of QOL to explore from participants’ baseline survey data. Future research could benefit from community based participatory research (CBPR) approaches in exploring QOL among indigenous communities.