Photovoice: Climate Change and Health (Inuktitut/ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ) 1 of 2

In May 2009, Qaujigiartiit/Arctic Health Research Network-NU ran a 3 day research methods workshop for Nunavumiat community members. This workshop was partnered with a photovoice research project in order to provide hands-on experience to community participants, thereby building confidence and capacity so that they may lead their own health research projects and participate meaningfully in projects that come to their communities.The focus of the research project was the implications of climate change for health. Climate change is a prominent topic of concern in the north, and the impacts on health are not yet fully understood. In a recent report published by the Lancet Commission on Climate Change, climate change was found to endanger health in six key ways. These include changing patterns of disease and mortality, extreme weather events, food insecurity, water scarcity, heat waves, and threats to built structures including housing and public infrastructure (Costello 2009). While the health effects of climate change are global in scope, they bear particular relevance in the north, where communities hold a close relationship with the land. Accordingly, climate change is likely to bear profound effects on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of northern peoples. Research which strives to understand the ways in which climate change affects the health of northern communities, must elicit meaningful community involvement in the research process. Moreover, community participation and social mobilization are essential for identifying the factors that enhance or inhibit local adaptive capabilities in the face of climate change. Photovoice was the methodology employed in the research project, since it is based on the principles of participation, empowerment, accessibility, and self-documentation, and is therefore an effective technique for eliciting community perspectives and strengthening community capacity. Through photovoice, people capture images of their everyday life experiences with the use of a camera. Photovoice (originally termed photo novella) has been referred to as a concept, an approach, an educational tool, a participatory action research method, a participatory action tool, a participatory health promotion strategy, and a process (Wang & Burris, 1994, 1997; Wang, Yi, Tao, & Carovano, 1998). Here, the photovoice technique allowed participants the opportunity to express themselves through photography and story telling. These images and messages formed the basis of our collective findings. The Photovoice Process video documents the perspectives of community participants regarding climate change and the photovoice technique itself. It further documents the findings from the research project, which are best summarized in the Climate Change and Health Model. The climate change and health model. which is depicted in the video, is a schematic representation of the themes that emerged through the photovoice process. Here, the placement of the themes around and within a circle, signifies interaction and overlap between ideas and messages. The theme of reflection and changing knowledge systems was identified as central to the relationship between climate change and health. Participants saw the capacity to reflect on the past and preserve traditional knowledge systems as essential to coping with the effect of climate change on health. Additionally, the importance of new knowledge about the changing environment and its implications on the land, was recognized, and participants saw the incorporation of new information into traditional knowledge systems as essential to the management of the health effects of climate change. Extending from this central concept, emerged 4 subsequent themes. These were the tangible impacts of climate change on health; the transition from a colder climate to a warmer climate; the feeling of being caught between a dependence on environmentally unfavorable practices and a desire to slow climate change; and, the necessary adaptation that communities will need to undergo in order to cope with and mitigate the effects of climate change. If you have any questions or comments about this video, our findings, or our organization, or if you would like support in developing your own community-based health research project, please contact Qaujigiartiit/Arctic Health Research Network-NU at ahrn.nunavut@gmail.com or visit www.nunavut.arctichealth.ca Enjoy the video!

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