QANUILIRPITAA? 2017

General Facts Sheet

Qanuilirpitaa? 2017 is a vast survey, unprecedented in size, which will examine the state of health of the Nunavik population. Yet it’s more than that. It’s about knowledge. It’s about solutions. It’s about empowerment.
How are we now? The answer to that question in Nunavik is more complex than it’s ever been. Since the last survey, Qanuippitaa 2004? (How are we?), the situation has evolved considerably.

Nunavik is changing and so are its health needs, especially among our youth who make up an important component of this health survey. The high rate of suicide among our youth is an unbearable tragedy. The spread of sexually transmitted diseases has become a major concern. Tuberculosis has returned with a vengeance to haunt some of our communities. Nunavik continues to be plagued with a lack of sufficient and adequate housing. And there’s a growing need to tackle family violence, addictions and food insecurity.

These are some of the priorities that Qanuilirpitaa? 2017 will seek to address. It will document the state of mental and physical health of randomly chosen residents in all 14 communities in Nunavik. Nunavimmiut can then use the data to define new preventive health strategies as well services for the future.

The anticipated economic development of the Plan Nord and the major impact it could have on our lives are another reason why it has become so important to document the overall state of health of our population. The data will be used to compare the current situation with the health and social repercussions the Plan Nord may eventually have on our communities.

The Qanuippitaa? 2004 survey paved the way for several lasting initiatives, including and especially detecting and treating breast cancer, launching the Good Touch / Bad Touch prevention program against sexual abuse of children and defining a new regional strategic health plan.

Another lasting benefit of the 2004 survey is the ongoing working relationship between the Population Health Unit at the Université de Laval CHU de Québec Research Centre, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec and the NRBHSS; the latter chairs the steering committee and is responsible for the overall survey.

This long-lasting cooperation along with the involvement of key regional partners such as the Kativik Regional Government and Makivik Corporation will strengthen Nunavik’s ability to produce an accurate portrait of the health status of its communities and determine a course of action for the future.

Qanuilirpitaa? 2017 is a survey conducted for and by the Inuit. The knowledge the survey will compile will enhance Nunavimmiut ability to maintain and promote our culture, language and identity. It will strengthen our capability to lead and take action to improve the health and well-being of every community.

Knowledge is empowerment. And empowerment fuels the growing desire for self-determination. It is one of the objectives expressed during the vast Parnasimautik consultation that defined our vision of the future. Qanuilirpitaa? 2017 is an important tool needed to achieve our goal.

HOW IT WILL BE DONE

A crew of 40 people including medical experts, interviewers, laboratory technicians and research professionals will board the Canadian Coast Guard ship Amundsen and begin the survey on August 19 in Kuujjuaraapik.
For the following seven weeks the ship will go up the Hudson Bay coast, into the Hudson Strait and down the Ungava Bay coast, stopping at all 14 Nunavik communities and completing its journey in Kuujjuaq in October. (See the Amundsen’s itinerary below.)

About 2 000 residents will be invited to participate in the survey. They will be chosen randomly by a team of recruiters who will go from one community to another before the ship’s arrival. Your participation is needed for the survey to be successful. When the recruiters come knocking please say yes!

In total, 1 000 participants aged between 16 and 30 years will be chosen. Another 1 000 participants of 31 years and older, some of whom will have participated in the Qanuippitaa 2004 survey, will also be chosen. All participants will need to sign a consent form before taking part in the survey.

Participants will be taken to the ship by barge or helicopter, depending on the weather. Once on board they will be asked to undergo clinical tests and fill out a questionnaire.

The survey will also include a community component where the data will be used to develop local assets and assess the well-being of each community. The information will be an important tool in helping communities mobilize around common goals. They will be able to compare what works in some communities and what needs to be improved in others.

Community involvement is essential for the survey to be successful. Mayors have made the commitment to inform their communities. Schools, employers and day-care centres have offered to cooperate to make sure services are available and employees aren’t penalized for participating in the survey. As an added an incentive a $75 coupon redeemable at the local Coop store will be given to participants.

When the Amundsen arrives in your community, make it a festive occasion where residents can celebrate who they are and express hope in the future they seek to build.
Follow Qanuilirpitaa? 2017 on Facebook and visit this website regularly for more information about your health survey.

The Amundsen’s Itinerary