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Brisbois B, Hoogeveen D, Allison S, Cole D, Fyfe TM, Harder HG, Parkes MW. Storylines of research on resource extraction and health in Canada: A modified metanarrative synthesis. Soc Sci Med 2021; 277:113899. [PMID: 33895709 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Patterns of research on resource extraction's health effects display problematic gaps and underlying assumptions, indicating a need to situate health knowledge production in the context of disciplinary, corporate and neocolonial influences and structures. This paper reports on a modified metanarrative synthesis of 'storylines' of research on resource extraction and health in the Canadian context. Peer-reviewed articles on mining or petroleum extraction and health published between 2000 and 2018 and dealing with Canadian populations or policies (n = 87) were identified through a systematic literature search. Coding identified main disciplinary traditions, methodologies and approaches for judging high-quality research. Underlying assumptions were analyzed in terms of models of health and well-being; resource extraction's political economic drivers; and representations of Indigenous peoples, territories and concerns. Findings included a preponderance of occupational and environmental health studies; frequent presentation of resource extraction without political economic antecedents, and as a major contributor to Canadian society; sustainable development aspirations to mitigate health impacts through voluntary private-sector governance activities; representations of Indigenous peoples and concerns ranging from complete absence to engagement with legacies of historical trauma and environmental dispossession; and indictment of corporate (especially asbestos industry) and government malfeasance in a subset of studies. Canada's world-leading mining sector, petroleum reserves and population health traditions, coupled with colonial legacies in both domestic and overseas mining and petroleum development, make these insights relevant to broader efforts for health equity in relation to resource extraction. They suggest a need for strengthened application of the precautionary principle in relation to resource extraction; nuanced attention to corporate influences on the production of health science; more profound challenges to dominant economic development models; and extension of well-intentioned efforts of researchers and policymakers working within flawed institutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Brisbois
- School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Dawn Hoogeveen
- School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada; Geography Program, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | - Sandra Allison
- School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada; School of Population and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Northern Health Authority, Prince George, BC, Canada; Vancouver Island Health Authority, Nanaimo, BC, Canada
| | - Donald Cole
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Trina M Fyfe
- Northern Medical Program, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | - Henry G Harder
- School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
| | - Margot W Parkes
- School of Health Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada; Northern Medical Program, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada
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Farnham A, Cossa H, Dietler D, Engebretsen R, Leuenberger A, Lyatuu I, Nimako B, Zabre HR, Brugger F, Winkler MS. Investigating Health Impacts of Natural Resource Extraction Projects in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, and Tanzania: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study. JMIR Res Protoc 2020; 9:e17138. [PMID: 32266876 PMCID: PMC7177430 DOI: 10.2196/17138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Natural resource extraction projects offer both opportunities and risks for sustainable development and health in host communities. Often, however, the health of the community suffers. Health impact assessment (HIA) can mitigate the risks and promote the benefits of development but is not routinely done in the developing regions that could benefit the most. Objective Our study aims to investigate health and health determinants in regions affected by extractive industries in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, and Tanzania. The evidence generated in our study will inform a policy dialogue on how HIA can be promoted as a regulatory approach as part of the larger research initiative called the HIA4SD (Health impact assessment for sustainable development) project. Methods The study is a concurrent triangulation, mixed methods, multi-stage, multi-focus project that specifically addresses the topics of governance and policy, social determinants of health, health economics, health systems, maternal and child health, morbidity and mortality, and environmental determinants, as well as the associated health outcomes in natural resource extraction project settings across four countries. To investigate each of these health topics, the project will (1) use existing population-level databases to quantify incidence of disease and other health outcomes and determinants over time using time series analysis; (2) conduct two quantitative surveys on mortality and cost of disease in producer regions; and (3) collect primary qualitative data using focus groups and key informant interviews describing community perceptions of the impacts of extraction projects on health and partnership arrangements between the projects and local and national governance. Differences in health outcomes and health determinants between districts with and without an extraction project will be analyzed using matched geographical analyses in quasi-Poisson regression models and binomial regression models. Costs to the health system and to the households from diseases found to be associated with projects in each country will be estimated retrospectively. Results Fieldwork for the study began in February 2019 and concluded in February 2020. At the time of submission, qualitative data collection had been completed in all four study countries. In Burkina Faso, 36 focus group discussions and 74 key informant interviews were conducted in three sites. In Ghana, 34 focus group discussions and 64 key informant interviews were conducted in three sites. In Mozambique, 75 focus group discussions and 103 key informant interviews were conducted in four sites. In Tanzania, 36 focus group discussions and 84 key informant interviews were conducted in three sites. Quantitative data extraction and collection is ongoing in all four study countries. Ethical approval for the study was received in all four study countries prior to beginning the fieldwork. Data analyses are underway and results are expected to be published in 2020 and 2021. Conclusions Disentangling the complex interactions of resource extraction projects with their host communities requires an integrative approach drawing on many methodologies under the HIA umbrella. By using complementary data sources to address the question of population health in project areas from several angles, bias and missing data will be reduced, generating high-quality evidence to aid countries in moving toward sustainable development. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/17138
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Farnham
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hermínio Cossa
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,Manhiça Health Research Centre, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Dominik Dietler
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Andrea Leuenberger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Isaac Lyatuu
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Ifakara Health Institute, Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania
| | - Belinda Nimako
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
| | - Hyacinthe R Zabre
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Research Institute of Health Sciences, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Fritz Brugger
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mirko S Winkler
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.,University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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James C, Tynan R, Roach D, Leigh L, Oldmeadow C, Rahman M, Kelly B. Correlates of psychological distress among workers in the mining industry in remote Australia: Evidence from a multi-site cross-sectional survey. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0209377. [PMID: 30571731 PMCID: PMC6301627 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of psychological distress in employees in the metalliferous mining industry in Australia, and to examine associated demographic, health, and workplace characteristics. A cross sectional survey was conducted among 1,799 participants from four metalliferous mines. Psychological distress was measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), alongside other measures of personal demographics, health history, health behaviour, and workplace characteristics. Univariate and multivariate statistical methods were used to examine associations between psychological distress and personal and workplace characteristics. Levels of moderate to very high psychological distress were significantly higher in this sample (44.4%) compared to the general population (27.2%). Moderate to very high psychological distress was significantly associated with younger age; individual health factors (a prior history of depression, anxiety, or drug/alcohol problems); health behaviours (using illicit drugs in the last month); and a range of workplace factors (concern about losing their job; lower satisfaction with work; working shifts of over 12 hours duration; working in mining for financial reasons and social factors (poorer social networks). The identification of a number of social, personal and workplace factors associated with high psychological distress present useful targets to inform the development of tailored workplace interventions to reduce distress in metalliferous mine employees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carole James
- Centre for Resources Health and Safety, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
- School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Ross Tynan
- Centre for Resources Health and Safety, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
- Everymind, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Della Roach
- Centre for Resources Health and Safety, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Lucy Leigh
- Clinical Research Design and Statistics, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Christopher Oldmeadow
- Clinical Research Design and Statistics, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Mijanur Rahman
- Priority Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
- Department of Statistics, Comilla University, Comilla, Bangladesh
| | - Brian Kelly
- Centre for Resources Health and Safety, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
- School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
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Helms R, Gutierrez RS, Reeves-Gutierrez D. Jail Mental Health Resourcing: A Conceptual and Empirical Study of Social Determinants. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OFFENDER THERAPY AND COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY 2016; 60:1036-1063. [PMID: 25759429 DOI: 10.1177/0306624x15572864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
U.S. county jails hold large populations of mentally ill inmates but have rarely been researched quantitatively to assess their collective capacity for providing mental health treatment. This research uses ordinal logit and a partial parallel slopes model and a large sample of U.S. counties to assess conceptualized links between local institutional and structural indicators and jail mental health resourcing. Strong church networks and high rates of adult education completion are associated with enhanced jail mental health resourcing. Urbanized areas and areas with deep economic ties to manufacturing appear supportive of a strong jail mental health system. Conversely, conservative political environments and areas with strong medical and mental health networks based in the community are correlated with reduced jail mental health resourcing. Evidence from this research adds to a growing understanding of the need for enhanced community mental health service and diagnostic capabilities in our nation's jails, noting the characteristics and correlates of model program jurisdictions and jurisdictions where program enhancements are most likely in order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald Helms
- Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA
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