Sense of coherence of reindeer herders and other Samis in comparison to other Swedish citizens

• Published in: International Journal of Circumpolar Health
• Main Authors: Agneta Abrahamsson, Ulrika Lindmark, Arne Gerdner
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2013
• Subjects: Sami population; non-Sami population; survey; sense of coherence; general resistance resources; health determinants; social support; threats to reindeer herding; Sami life form; meaning of reindeer herding; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic; Circumpolar Health; International Journal of Circumpolar Health; reindeer husbandry; sami; Lapland
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.20633; https://doaj.org/article/738e6649e15b42e2b752657c5ec6cf0e

Background. Samis are indigenous people in north Europe. In the territory called Sápmi (Lapland), reindeer herding is the traditional base for the Sami economy. The relation between living conditions and positive health of the Swedish Samis has been sparsely studied. As health is closely linked to sense of coherence (SOC), an understanding of the background factors to SOC may contribute knowledge that might be useful in promoting living conditions and health. Methods. The study examines relations between the level of SOC and background factors from surveys in a Sami population (n=613) in comparison to a non-Sami population (n=525) in Sweden, and in comparison between 2 subsamples of Samis, that is, herders and non-herders. Results. There are more similarities than differences between the Sami and non-Sami populations. However, dividing the Sami population, reindeer herders had significantly lower SOC, and in specific the subcomponent manageability, that is, less ability to use available resources to meet different demands in life, compared to non-herders. Conclusions. In addition to age and health, predictors of SOC are related to the life form of reindeer husbandry and the belonging to the herding community.