Responding to Climate and Environmental Change Impacts on Human Health via Integrated Surveillance in the Circumpolar North: A Systematic Realist Review

Alexandra Sawatzky, Ashlee Cunsolo, Andria Jones-Bitton, Jacqueline Middleton and Sherilee L. Harper
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Alexandra Sawatzky: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Ashlee Cunsolo: Labrador Institute of Memorial University, 219 Hamilton River Road, P.O. Box 490, Stn. B, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL A0P 1E0, Canada
Andria Jones-Bitton: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Jacqueline Middleton: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Sherilee L. Harper: Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-37

Abstract: Environments are shifting rapidly in the Circumpolar Arctic and Subarctic regions as a result of climate change and other external stressors, and this has a substantial impact on the health of northern populations. Thus, there is a need for integrated surveillance systems designed to monitor the impacts of climate change on human health outcomes as part of broader adaptation strategies in these regions. This review aimed to identify, describe, and synthesize literature on integrated surveillance systems in Circumpolar Arctic and Subarctic regions, that are used for research or practice. Following a systematic realist review approach, relevant articles were identified using search strings developed for MEDLINE ® and Web of Science™ databases, and screened by two independent reviewers. Articles that met the inclusion criteria were retained for descriptive quantitative analysis, as well as thematic qualitative analysis, using a realist lens. Of the 3431 articles retrieved in the database searches, 85 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Thematic analysis identified components of integrated surveillance systems that were categorized into three main groups: structural, processual, and relational components. These components were linked to surveillance attributes and activities that supported the operations and management of integrated surveillance. This review advances understandings of the distinct contributions of integrated surveillance systems and data to discerning the nature of changes in climate and environmental conditions that affect population health outcomes and determinants in the Circumpolar North. Findings from this review can be used to inform the planning, design, and evaluation of integrated surveillance systems that support evidence-based public health research and practice in the context of increasing climate change and the need for adaptation.

Keywords: circumpolar North; climate change; adaptation; environmental health; public health; surveillance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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