Physical Activity, Sleep, and Demographic Patterns in Alaska Native Children and Youth Living in Anaktuvuk Pass.

Physical activity (PA), sleep, and weight are important factors for youth health. However, data about these factors are unknown in youth living in isolated Alaska Native communities. This study aims to assess PA, sleep, height and weight in elementary through high school students living in Anaktuvuk Pass. Fourteen children (<12) and 24 youths (12-20) volunteered to participate in this study. PA and sleep data were collected with actigraphy. Height and weight were assessed with standard procedures. Demographics were collected via survey. Results show that 10.53% and 18.42% of participants were overweight and obese, respectively. Average bedtime was 00:15 am and wake time 08:23 am. Total sleep time was 498.21 min. Participants averaged 477.64 min in sedentary activity, 297.29 min in light activity, 150.66 min in moderate activity, and 18.05 min in vigorous activity. Adjusted models suggest that high school students engage in significantly more sedentary activity, and significantly less light, moderate, and vigorous activity compared to those in middle and elementary school. All students engaged in less moderate and vigorous activity on the weekend compared to the weekday. Data suggest that as children age they become more sedentary. Future studies should focus on increasing daily PA in high school students while considering other obesogenic factors.

"What makes life good?" Developing a culturally grounded quality of life measure for Alaska Native college students.

BACKGROUND: Alaska Native (AN) college students experience higher attrition rates than their non-Native peers. Understanding the factors that contribute to quality of life ("what makes life good") for AN students will help inform supportive programs that are congruent with their culture and college life experiences. OBJECTIVES: Co-develop a conceptual model and a measure of quality of life (QOL) that reflects the experiences of AN college students. METHODS: Six focus groups were conducted with 26 AN college students. Within a community-academic partnership, interactive data collection activities, co-analysis workgroup sessions and an interactive findings forum ensured a participant-driven research process. FINDINGS: Students identified and operationally defined eight QOL domains (values, culture and traditions, spirituality, relationships, basic needs, health, learning and leisure). The metaphor of a tree visually illustrates how the domains values, culture and traditions and spirituality form the roots to the other domains that appear to branch out as students navigate the dual worldviews of Native and Western ways of living. CONCLUSIONS: The eight QOL domains and their items identified during focus groups were integrated into a visual model and an objective QOL measure. The hope is to provide a useful tool for developing and evaluating university-based programs and services aimed toward promoting a positive QOL and academic success for AN students.

Forging a new legacy of trust in research with Alaska Native college students using CBPR.

OBJECTIVES: Disparities in the rates of matriculation and graduation are of concern to Alaska Native (AN) students and the universities committed to their academic success. Efforts to reduce attrition require a keen understanding of the factors that impact quality of life (QOL) at college. Yet, a long-standing legacy of mistrust towards research poses challenges to conducting inquiry among AN students. We introduced a partnership between the University of Alaska Fairbank's Rural Student Services (RSS) and the Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) within which we conducted the "What makes life good?" study aimed towards developing a QOL measure for AN students. Equally important was building a legacy of research trust among AN partners. STUDY DESIGN: We describe Phase I of a 2-phase study that employed a sequential mixed methods approach. Discussed are facilitators, challenges and lessons learned while striving to adhere to the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). METHODS: Phase I included formative focus groups and QOL measurement development. The research involved the interplay among activities that were co-developed with the goal of enhancing trust and research capacity. Emphasis was placed on ensuring that data collection and analyses were student driven. CONCLUSIONS: All partners resided at the same university. However, trust and collaboration could not be assumed. Working within a collaborative framework, our partnership achieved the aim of developing a culturally informed QOL measure, while also creating an empowering experience for all partners who became co-investigators in a process that might normally be regarded with mistrust.