Alaska Resources

A Prospective Cohort Analysis of Gut Microbial Co-metabolism in Alaska Native and Rural African People at High and Low Risk of Colorectal Cancer
Presents a study examining the role of diet and gut microbiota in rates of colorectal cancer. Compares the diets of Alaska Natives, who have the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the world, with the diets of rural Africans, who have some of the lowest.
Author(s): Soeren Ocvirk, Annette S Wilson, Joram M Posma, et al.
Citation: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 111(2), 406-419
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
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Integrating Culture and History to Promote Health and Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes in American Indian/Alaska Native Communities: Traditional Foods Have Become a Way to Talk About Health
Reports on the implementation of the Traditional Foods Project (TFP), a community-based intervention to promote access to and integration of traditional foods, physical activities, and social support in culturally and geographically diverse American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.
Author(s): Lemyra DeBruyn, Lynne Fullerton, Dawn Satterfield, Melinda Frank
Citation: Preventing Chronic Disease, 17
Date: 02/2020
Type: Document
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Alaska's Community Capacity Review: A Statewide Public Health System Assessment
Assesses the current status of the public health system in Alaska and provides a starting point to improve and strengthen the overall capacity of the system. Highlights the importance of including small and rural Alaskan communities in outreach and collaboration efforts.
Date: 10/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Alaska Department of Health, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Healthy Alaskans 2020
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Promising Practice: Community Cafes in Alaska Give People a Say in Their Health Care
Provides an overview of the first community cafe sponsored by the Petersburg Medical Center (PMC) in Petersburg, Alaska, and facilitated by the Alaska State Office of Rural Health (AK-SORH). Covers the thought process behind the AK-SORH's idea to facilitate community cafes across the state. Describes the goals of community cafes: to educate and receive feedback on a topic chosen by the community, and learn more about the community's health needs.
Author(s): Beth Blevins
Date: 04/2019
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health
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AKVDRS Suicide Death Update - Alaska, 2012-2017
Details a study on the suicide death rate in Alaska from 2012-2017. Features rates for American Indian and Alaska Native, by substance use, and by region.
Citation: State of Alaska Epidemiology Bulletin, 1
Date: 01/2019
Type: Document
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A Holistic Definition of Healthy Traditional Harvest Practices for Rural Indigenous Communities in Interior Alaska
Explores the ways in which sharing of wild resources is important for food security, wellness, and cultural identity in Indigenous Alaska communities. Discusses how environmental changes are affecting Alaskans' way of life and challenging access to foods needed for nutrition and cultural preservation.
Author(s): Krista M. Heeringa, Orville Huntington, Brooke Woods, et al.
Citation: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 9(2, Suppl. 2), 115–129.
Date: 2019
Type: Document
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Data, Capacity-Building, and Training Needs to Address Rural Health Inequities in the Northwest United States: A Qualitative Study
Describes the results of 28 interviews with rural local health department staff in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to examine their training needs and capacity to access and use data to better understand public health issues and allocate resources. Includes interview subjects' employment information and quotes highlighting the challenges to accessing or using data to monitor rural health issues.
Author(s): Betty Bekemeier, Seungeun Park, Uba Backonja, India Ornelas, Anne M. Turner
Citation: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 26(8-9), 825-834
Date: 2019
Type: Document
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Hearing Norton Sound: A Community Randomised Trial Protocol to Address Childhood Hearing Loss in Rural Alaska
Profiles a study evaluating a school hearing screening and referral process to determine if it helped to improve the treatment of childhood hearing loss in rural Alaska.
Author(s): Susan D. Emmett, Samantha Kleindienst Robler, Nae-Yuh Wang, et al.
Citation: BMJ Open, 9(1), e023078
Date: 2019
Type: Document
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Disparities in Social Determinants of Health Outcomes and Behaviours Between Older Adults in Alaska and the Contiguous US: Evidence from a National Survey
Examines sociodemographic factors, rural versus urban residence, health outcomes, and behaviors among adults aged 65 years and older living in Alaska to those living in the contiguous 48 states. Assesses if residence, living in Alaska versus the lower 48 states, is associated with the social determinants of health and health outcomes.
Author(s): Steven A. Cohen, Ana X. Talamas, Natalie J. Sabik
Citation: International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 78(1)
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
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Alaska Facts and Figures: 2017 Alaska Resident Leading Causes of Inpatient Hospitalization
Describes the number and rate of leading causes of hospitalization by clinical classification for Alaska residents in 2017 by gender, race, age group, and public health region. Includes data on the leading fifteen hospitalization billed charges.
Date: 12/2018
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Alaska Division of Public Health
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