Investigating the Health and Wellbeing of Alaska Native Elderly in Northwest Alaska through Community Participatory Based Research Methods

通过基于社区参与的研究方法调查阿拉斯加西北部阿拉斯加原住民老年人的健康和福祉

• 批准号: 1719404
• 负责人: Jordan Lewis
• 金额: $ 49.07万
• 依托单位: University of Alaska Anchorage Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-08-29 至 2021-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1719404&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Investigating; Health; Wellbeing; Alaska; Native

Alaska Native communities have a strong sense of respect for their older residents. In many Alaskan rural communities, whose primary population is Alaska Native people, the elderly are still relied upon for their deep knowledge and understanding of the natural environment, heritage languages, and cultural practices which are important not only for economic survival but social cohesion and community wellbeing. However, change is deeply affecting Alaska Native communities and Alaska Native people are forced to adapt to the new environmental, economic and social realities that affect their worlds. This research project will explore how Alaska Native elderly are adapting to rapid economic, environmental, and social change by exploring Alaska Native elderly and their own understanding and definition of what successful aging means to them. The current research project will establish a better understanding of successful aging from the perspectives of Alaska Native elderly in Northwest Alaska. Being the Principal Investigators second research project on this topic, this project has the potential to inform future studies of indigenous successful aging, studies that allow the elderly themselves to subjectively define for themselves what it means to age well. In the spirit of community-based participatory research, several communities in Northwest Alaska reached out to the principal investigator, Dr. Jordan P. Lewis (Aleut, Native Village of Naknek), to request that similar research be conducted in their region. They did so after learning of his "Successful Aging Study," which was carried out in Bristol Bay Alaska from 2011-2014 and brought awareness of the value of positive, or generative, focused research with the elderly, highlighting their lessons and knowledge for healthy aging. This research study will consist of 60 qualitative in-depth interviews with Alaska Native elderly to establish an indigenous understanding of what successful aging means for Alaska Natives in Northwest Alaska and what is required to age in place. Interviews will be conducted with Alaska Native elderly and their family members in their own homes in five participating communities, as well as those who have relocated to the Quyanna Care facility in Nome, Alaska. Through these interviews the research team will to explore the concept of successful aging and hope to gain a sense of Alaska Native beliefs about aging, what is required to age in place? and how relocation to facilities for the elderly impacts views of successful aging? In the spirit of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), participants will be engaged through the entire research process, from conception to data analysis. Meetings will be held in participating communities to review the findings and receive feedback; this will ensure the findings reflect the unique perspectives of the Elders, families, communities, and region. These findings will also be compared with the previous study on successful aging conducted in Bristol Bay to compare and contrast experiences of aging in these two rural regions of Alaska. This study will also explore what is required to age in place to reduce or eliminate the need for the elderly to relocate - taking with them the language, culture, and history of the community. Previous research by the PI has shown that enabling older Alaskan Native people to remain in their homes and communities contributes to the health and wellbeing of the communities. The research will shed additional light on what it means to age well in rural Alaska and determine what role their community plays in how Alaska Native people subjectively define their aging process. The significance of this proposed research advances discovery through the establishment of a locally and culturally informed, Alaska Native, understanding of successful aging that builds on the PI's previous projects. In addition to contributing to the academic literature on successful aging, it promotes teaching and learning from the Elders on healthy aging in rural Alaska. It also educates researchers on the importance of CBPR and allowing the elderly to subjectively define their aging process, as well as engaging the local community throughout the entire research process, which promotes the coproduction of knowledge and bi-directional learning. This research project broadens the participation of underrepresented groups (Alaska Natives) and puts them on equal footing with the scientists in interpreting results and in presenting the results. This research also has the potential to contribute to the disciplines of anthropology, gerontology, community psychology, sociology, and others by paving the way for future researchers interested in indigenous aging. The research findings can influence health and social policy in Alaska and how healthcare and long-term support services are delivered to older residents in rural communities. The results of this research will be published and be disseminated for other researchers, gerontologists, anthropologists, and students to use with the permission of the tribal governing authorities, the Alaska Native participants and their communities. This study will also highlight that aging does not have to equal poor health and immobility; aging well should be a right that can be attained by everyone. This research has the potential to inform health professionals, policy advocates, local and state officials about the factors that determine whether or not rural Alaska communities are able to meet the needs of their elderly and enable them to live their remaining years as they may wish.

阿拉斯加原住民社区对年长的居民怀有强烈的敬意。在许多阿拉斯加农村社区，其主要人口是阿拉斯加原住民，老年人仍然依赖于他们对自然环境、遗产语言和文化习俗的深刻知识和理解，这些不仅对经济生存，而且对社会凝聚力和社区福祉都很重要。然而，变化正在深刻地影响着阿拉斯加土著社区，阿拉斯加土著人民被迫适应影响他们世界的新的环境、经济和社会现实。这项研究项目将通过探索阿拉斯加土著老年人以及他们自己对成功老龄化意味着什么的理解和定义，来探索阿拉斯加土著老年人如何适应快速的经济、环境和社会变化。目前的研究项目将从阿拉斯加西北部的阿拉斯加土著老年人的角度来建立对成功老龄化的更好理解。作为这一主题的第二个首席调查研究项目，该项目有可能为未来关于土著成功老龄化的研究提供信息，这些研究允许老年人自己主观地定义什么是健康老龄化。本着以社区为基础的参与性研究的精神，阿拉斯加西北部的几个社区联系了首席调查员Jordan P.Lewis博士(Naknek土著村庄阿留特人)，要求在他们所在的地区进行类似的研究。他们是在了解到他的“成功老龄化研究”后这么做的，该研究于2011-2014年间在阿拉斯加州布里斯托尔湾进行，让人们意识到对老年人进行积极的、或生成性的、专注于研究的价值，突出了他们对健康老龄化的教训和知识。这项研究将包括对阿拉斯加原住民老年人的60次定性深度访谈，以建立原住民对成功老龄化对阿拉斯加西北部的阿拉斯加原住民意味着什么以及在适当的地方老化需要什么的理解。将对阿拉斯加原住民老年人及其在五个参与社区的家中的家人以及那些搬迁到阿拉斯加州诺姆奎亚纳护理机构的人进行访谈。通过这些访谈，研究团队将探索成功衰老的概念，并希望获得阿拉斯加原住民关于衰老的信念，什么是衰老所必需的？以及搬迁到老年设施如何影响人们对成功老龄化的看法？本着基于社区的参与性研究(CBPR)的精神，参与者将参与整个研究过程，从概念到数据分析。将在参与社区举行会议，审查调查结果并接受反馈；这将确保调查结果反映长老、家庭、社区和区域的独特观点。这些发现还将与之前在布里斯托尔湾进行的关于成功老龄化的研究进行比较，以比较和对比阿拉斯加这两个农村地区的老龄化经验。这项研究还将探讨在适当的地方老龄化需要什么，以减少或消除老年人搬迁的需要--随身携带社区的语言、文化和历史。PI之前的研究表明，使年长的阿拉斯加原住民留在家里和社区有助于社区的健康和福祉。这项研究将进一步阐明在阿拉斯加农村地区很好地变老意味着什么，并确定他们的社区在阿拉斯加原住民如何主观地定义他们的老龄化过程中扮演着什么角色。这项拟议的研究的意义是通过建立一个当地和文化知情的阿拉斯加原住民对成功老龄化的理解来推进发现，这一理解建立在PI之前的项目基础上。除了对成功老龄化的学术文献做出贡献外，它还促进了阿拉斯加农村地区长老们关于健康老龄化的教学和学习。它还教育研究人员CBPR的重要性，让老年人主观地定义他们的老龄化过程，以及在整个研究过程中让当地社区参与，这促进了知识的共同产生和双向学习。这一研究项目扩大了代表不足的群体(阿拉斯加土著)的参与，并使他们在解释结果和展示结果方面与科学家处于平等的地位。这项研究还有可能为人类学、老年学、社区心理学、社会学和其他学科做出贡献，为未来对土著老龄化感兴趣的研究人员铺平道路。这些研究结果可以影响阿拉斯加的卫生和社会政策，以及如何向农村社区的老年居民提供医疗保健和长期支持服务。这项研究的结果将被公布和传播，供其他研究人员、老年学家、人类学家和学生在获得部落管理当局、阿拉斯加原住民参与者及其社区的许可后使用。这项研究还将强调，衰老并不一定等同于健康不佳和行动不便；良好的衰老应该是每个人都可以获得的权利。这项研究有可能让卫生专业人员、政策倡导者、地方和州官员了解决定阿拉斯加农村社区是否能够满足老年人的需求并使他们能够按照自己的意愿度过余生的因素。