International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples 2023

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is observed on 9 August every year since the decision by the United Nations General Assembly on 23 December 1994.  The date marks the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations.

This year’s theme is: Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination and relates to 3 themes:

- Climate Action and the Green Transition

- Mobilizing for Justice

- Intergenerational connections

Table of contents

Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 7, June 2023

The community-based MLMC intervention described in this paper had significant impacts on individual intake of dietary fat and carbohydrates. These dietary behaviors are important key factors related to chronic disease risk and further implementation of MLMC interventions could go someway way to improve dietary intake among Native American populations post-colonization.
Elsevier,

Heliyon, Volume 9, June 2023

This article focuses on how to expand current knowledge on the effect of messages that foster adherence to health policy guidelines among minorities.
Elsevier,

Heliyon, Volume 9, June 2023

The article highlights the Indigenous approaches to conflict resolution vary considerably from society to society.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Planetary Health, Volume 7, June 2023

This Review supports SDGs 3, 10, and 15 by examining evidence on Indigenous People's mental health related to resource industries in settler colonial states. It shows that land is central to Indigenous people's mental health, and that land dispossession due to industrial development negatively impacted mental health in Indigenous communities.
Elsevier,

Heliyon, Volume 9, June 2023

The article highlights the development schemes implemented by the Malaysian government to eradicate poverty.
Elsevier
Lowitja Institute and Elsevier are pleased to announce the launch a new international journal in 2023. First Nations Health and Wellbeing - The Lowitja Journal aims to uphold First Nations rights to sovereignty and self-determination within research practice. It is a community-controlled, international, inter- and multi-disciplinary peer-reviewed online open access journal that is dedicated to expanding access to First Nations research. The first issue of the journal is scheduled to be published later in 2023. All papers must include substantive contributions by First Nations authors and will be peer reviewed by experts in the field of the submitted work. The Editorial Board is international and the journal welcomes papers from First Nations researchers from all over the world.
Elsevier, The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, Volume 7, June 2023
Background: Latin America and the Caribbean present the second highest adolescent fertility rate in the world, only after sub-Saharan Africa, and have reached the third position globally in the incidence of motherhood in adolescence. We aimed to explore trends and inequities in adolescent childbearing in the region.
Elsevier,

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Volume 47, June 2023

This article highlights that although Indigenous research governance is recognised as an essential part of ethical Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research, activities and contributions made by Indigenous reference group (IRG) members are underreported. 
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 35, June 2023

First Nations children and adolescents in Australia experience one of the highest reported rates of treatable skin infections in the world, authors of this study gathers information from relevant communities through culturally appropriate, semi-structured interviews, or ‘yarning sessions’. This approach has allowed the authors to centre First Nations voices, identifying strengths and gaps in available resources, services and education to reduce these infections.
Elsevier,

Lancet Regional Health - Americas, Volume 21, May 2023

This Article supports SDG 3 and 10 by showing that among Indigenous children in Brazil (of the Guarani birth cohort), severely compromised living conditions were noted, and inequalities in the frequency of social and environmental risk factors between the Indigenous children. The authors note that policies are needed to improve housing, water and sanitation, and wealth conditions among people in Indigenous communities.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 7, May 2023

The authors of this paper developed and tested a culturally appropriate food picture-sort frequency tool that is feasible and acceptable to both Navajo children and adults. This tool and its indices have the potential to measure the change for school-based intervention studies among the Navajo Nation because of its cultural appropriateness, ease of administration and low burden, and the convergent validity and reliability of its indices.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 7, May 2023

This paper concludes that In the participating Dene population, vitamin D, fiber, and calcium intake were low, resulting in deficiencies for the majority of the participants and that Poor nutritional status might be because of several complex and intersecting challenges experienced by northern Indigenous communities, such as the historical context of colonialism, remote food insecurity, and social and environmental inequities. It is suggested that nutrition education, financial interventions, and store-food pricing policies should be put in place to facilitate access to market food, and culturally adequate initiatives, such as community harvest programs, should be put in place to facilitate better access to TFs/CFs.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 34, May 2023

This Article supports SDG 3 by assessing the cost-effectiveness of the "Birthing in Our Community" service in reducing preterm births in Australian First Nations families compared to standard care.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 34, May 2023

This Article supports SDG 3 by highlighting the effectiveness of a co-designed intervention for providing First Nations care within Western health services, which could address current gaps in respiratory health outcomes for Aboriginal children.
Elsevier, Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 7, April 2023
Background: An essential dietary strategy to address the rapidly increasing risk of the double burden of malnutrition among indigenous populations around the world is to improve nutritional and food diversity utilizing varieties of traditional plant-based foods. Objectives: The objective of this research was to identify wild edible plants (WEPs) frequently consumed by the Semai and analyze their proximate and mineral composition to improve the adequacy of the local population's nutritional intake.
Elsevier,

Heliyon, Volume 9, April 2023

This article analyses the practice of indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms in building a culture of peace in Ethiopia.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 7, March 2023

The authors of this paper conclude that training food service staff and other food service staff may be beneficial to improve meal quality in the Early Care and Education (ECE) programs but point out that positive changes did not last, perhaps indicating a need for longer and rigorous trainings.
Elsevier,

Lancet Regional Health - Americas, Volume 18, February 2023

This Health Policy paper supports SDG 3 and 10 by discussing the situation of Indigenous peoples of Canada in the context of "opt out" organ donation in Novia Scotia, the first area in North America to pass such legislation. The paper explores the potential impacts and issues of such legislation on Indigenous peoples, and makes a series of recommendations which would help to respect the rights and interests of these communities.
Elsevier,

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Volume 47, February 2023

This article estimates the coverage of Tackling Indigenous Smoking (TIS) teams in Australia and highlights that expanding the programme to a higher proportion of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is an important step towards ensuring equitable access to tobacco control.
Elsevier,

Lancet Regional Health - Americas, Volume 18, February 2023

This Personal View supports SDG 3 and 10 by discussing the ethical issues surrounding the use of psychedelic pharmacotherapies in Western medicine; as some of these agents are used in traditional medicines by Indigenous people. The authors make a series of recommendations on how these issues can be addressed.
Elsevier,

Heart Lung and Circulation, Volume 32, February 2023

According to this review, life expectancy is reduced for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in comparison to other residents of Australia. This paper calls for indigenous researchers to be involved in implementing relevant health design with local communities in order to bridge the gap.
Elsevier, The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 31, February 2023
Emerging evidence from the western literature suggests an increasing focus on applying nature-based interventions for mental health improvements. However, in Indigenous communities, caring for country has always been central to the Indigenous way of life. Knowing that nature-based interventions effectively improve mental health outcomes, this review collated evidence on the application of caring for country in improving social and emotional well-being (SEWB) of Indigenous peoples in Australia and New Zealand.
Elsevier,

Heliyon, Volume 9, January 2023

Indigenous agricultural knowledge is observed as an important national human capital to improve crop productivity and enhance sustainable agricultural development.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 28, November 2022

This Article supports SDG 3 by analysing contemporary mortality data to examine Māori and non-Māori mortality rates in rural and urban areas, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to address the health inequities faced by rural Māori populations. This is the first study in a decade to compare Māori mortality rates across the urban rural spectrum and it is the first study to do so using an urban: rural geographic classification developed for use in health policy and research.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 28, November 2022

This Article supports SDG 3 and 10 by highlighting the need for age-appropriate Indigenous strategies to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities for rangatahi Māori. This study provides an overview of Indigenous youth trends in Aotearoa New Zealand over two decades utilising repeated series of cross-sectional and representative surveys of secondary school students. Health inequities persisted over the 19-year period for rangatahi Māori, when compared to their Pākehā (NZ European /other European/“White”) peers, with few exceptions. 
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 28, November 2022

This Article supports SDG 3 by exploring perspectives of Pasifika women on the barriers to, and facilitators of, HPV self-testing, as this population has a higher rate of cervical cancer incidence and mortality than European women and a lower screening rate.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 6, September 2022

This paper highlights that despite living in a rich biodiverse food environment, there was poor access to diverse food sources and suboptimal consumption of balanced diets among Munda tribal women, thus contributing to high nutrient inadequacies. However, women who had better Indigenous Food (IF) consumption and dietary diversity demonstrated better nutrient intakes, especially for micronutrients. The paper is specific to Munda women of Jharkhand and may not be generalizable but the factors that affected the food consumption and nutritional status in this community, could help in understanding the contribution of the IF environment in addressing malnutrition of other indigenous communities living in similar geographical terrains of India.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 26, September 2022

This Article supports SDG 3 by highlighting that a substantial proportion of dementia in First Nations peoples in Far North Queensland could potentially be prevented, as half of the burden of dementia in this population may be attributed to 11 potentially modifiable risk factors.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 6, 1 August 2022

This article contributes to the debate around the use of participatory approaches by giving a tool (cameras) to the most marginalized to revitalize traditional foods (mostly nonmarket and even noncultivated) as a response to food insecurity and possibly malnutrition.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Global Health, Volume 10, August 2022

This narrative review supports SDG 3 and 8 by summarising the available evidence on work and health issues encountered by Indigenous workers in Canada, in response to some of the calls to action put forth by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Elsevier,

Cell Genomics, Volume 2, 13 July 2022

This study shows that TB progression risk is higher in native Peruvians, and the conclusions support including more diverse populations in genomic studies to provide better targeted healthcare in indigenous populations.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 6, 1 July 2022

The Growing Resilience action-research project as detailed in this paper, aims to help support the health and food sovereignty of Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR) communities by providing families with information for monitoring their individual health and by supporting families in improving their health by growing home food gardens.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 6, 1 July 2022

The results of this study show that children of the USAP region as a whole would benefit from an increase in their overall intake of fruit and vegetables and developing strategies to promote a greater frequency of consumption of all F&Vs, in particular traditional fruits and vegetables prepared by traditional practices, should benefit the health of people in the Pacific.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Planetary Health, Volume 6, July 2022

This Viewpoint supports SDGs 7 and 10 by reviewing climate mitigation scenarios in the context of energy inequalities between the Global North and the Global South. The authors conclude that existing mitigation scenarios exacerbate inequalities and increase climate risk in the Global South.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 6, June 2022

The Learning Circle approach is described as an inclusive and respectful way of engaging community and promoting local and traditional foods, knowledge, and practices among Indigenous youth in rural and remote locations. The flexibility of the model means that communities can prioritize activities of interest to them, identify what success of the initiatives would look like, and tailor evaluation processes accordingly. Indigenous leadership and ownership are essential to the success of such initiatives.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 6, 1 May 2022

Since the first-ever tax on junk foods was passed in 2014 the same-day purchasing patterns and trends on the Navajo Nation have improved and more than one-third of shoppers who were aware of the Healthy Diné Nation Act (HDNA) legislation attributed healthier shopping habits to the legislation, particularly related to beverages.
Elsevier, Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 6, 1 May 2022
Background: Over 85% of Kibera's population, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, is food insecure. Nutrition-sensitive agriculture interventions, such as sack gardens, have the potential to diversify diets - in turn, improving household food security and diet quality. Furthermore, the sale of extra vegetables may provide an income for program participants. Objectives: The aim of this paper was to conduct a feasibility assessment and preliminary impact assessment of a nutrition-sensitive urban agriculture intervention that used sack gardens for women in Kibera.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 6, 1 April 2022

This paper concludes that the SIVESNU (Sistema de Vigilancia Epidemiológica de Salud y Nutrición) surveillance platform is a critical tool for government and partners, addresses key data gaps, and provides high-quality data used to monitor and improve public health in Guatemala.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 6, 1 March 2022

The authors of this paper have developed the first known conceptual framework describing how Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) changes are developed based on 3 Native American Nations.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Americas, Volume , 2022

This Article supports SDG 3 and 10, looking at COVID-19 vaccination, incidence, and mortality data among Indigenous people in Brazil. Incidence was noted to be higher and vaccination coverage lower than in the general population. The paper notes that COVID-19 cases and deaths among Indigenous people could have been improved with better policies and strategies, including improved communication to these communities regarding the vaccine.
Elsevier,

EClinicalMedicine, Volume 35, May 2021

This Article supports SDGs 3 and 10 by showing how a remote prenatal education package aimed at First Nations pregnant women in Manitoba, Canada, was able to increase prenatal programme participation and breastfeeding initiation in this community. The study shows that such a programme is feasible and effective and can be a useful supplement to existing prenatal programmes in such communities.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 5, 1 April 2021

The data in this paper supports the WHO recommends Exclusive Breast Feeding (EBF) for the first 6 months of life, followed by breastfeeding in combination with the introduction of complementary foods until at least the age of 24 months and specifically provides new insights into the composition of microbiota in human milk by establishing those maternal factors that impact the human milk microbiota in the Mam-Mayan indigenous community in Guatemala.
Elsevier,

Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 5, 1 January 2021

The project discussed in this paper addresses a key factor related to the management of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) by examining barriers to maintaining a therapeutic diet for Indigenous persons living in remote communities.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 35, June 2023

First Nations children and adolescents in Australia experience one of the highest reported rates of treatable skin infections in the world, authors of this study gathers information from relevant communities through culturally appropriate, semi-structured interviews, or ‘yarning sessions’. This approach has allowed the authors to centre First Nations voices, identifying strengths and gaps in available resources, services and education to reduce these infections.
Elsevier, The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 31, February 2023
Emerging evidence from the western literature suggests an increasing focus on applying nature-based interventions for mental health improvements. However, in Indigenous communities, caring for country has always been central to the Indigenous way of life. Knowing that nature-based interventions effectively improve mental health outcomes, this review collated evidence on the application of caring for country in improving social and emotional well-being (SEWB) of Indigenous peoples in Australia and New Zealand.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 28, November 2022

This Article supports SDG 3 by analysing contemporary mortality data to examine Māori and non-Māori mortality rates in rural and urban areas, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to address the health inequities faced by rural Māori populations. This is the first study in a decade to compare Māori mortality rates across the urban rural spectrum and it is the first study to do so using an urban: rural geographic classification developed for use in health policy and research.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 28, November 2022

This Article supports SDG 3 and 10 by highlighting the need for age-appropriate Indigenous strategies to improve health outcomes and reduce inequities for rangatahi Māori. This study provides an overview of Indigenous youth trends in Aotearoa New Zealand over two decades utilising repeated series of cross-sectional and representative surveys of secondary school students. Health inequities persisted over the 19-year period for rangatahi Māori, when compared to their Pākehā (NZ European /other European/“White”) peers, with few exceptions. 
Elsevier,

Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Volume 119, June 2023

This study evaluates the relationship between the road network and deforestation and other negative impacts on indigenous people in Brazil.
Elsevier, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, Volume 118, May 2023
Increasing shipping traffic in the Arctic Ocean creates an emerging need to understand the consequences of maritime operations on the Arctic environment and coastal Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, as well as potential governance responses. To address this need, we examine recent shipping trends and assess their impact on Arctic environments and communities. Our arguments are novel, and are built around contemporary empirical investigations and published scientific studies, reports, and government documents.
Elsevier,

Women and Birth, Volume 36, May 2023

This paper supports the improvement of maternity care by First Nations doulas.
Elsevier,

Women and Birth, Volume 36, February 2023

This article focuses on listening to new mothers and family to create the right space for the new born with a focus on changes needing to be made to current western type policies.
Elsevier,

The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume , 2023

This piece highlights the importance of a culturally-sensitive approach to the management of infectious diseases and wellness for Indigenous people that take into account the rich and specific cultural milieu of the different populations to make decisions together.
Elsevier,

Women and Birth, Volume , 2023

Located within a community-controlled health service, the Australian Nurse-Family Partnership Program can foster cultural connection, peer support and access to health and social services; all contributing to self-efficacy.
Elsevier,

Collegian, Volume , 2023

According to this study, multimorbidity was highly prevalent and dying in hospital during a palliative care admission is common for Indigenous Australians. These data can inform end-of-life care and health service planning for Indigenous Australians living with heart failure and cardiomyopathy.
Elsevier,

CJC Open, Volume 4, September 2022

Indigenous peoples in Canada are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and current research suggests that gaps most prominently present as delays in receiving care and as poorer long-term outcomes.
Elsevier,

Transportation Research Procedia, Volume 63, 2022

This article examines the trade-offs between industrial development that benefits indigenous peoples economically and the environmental and other harms that result.
Historical and Continued Colonial Impacts on Heart Health of Indigenous Peoples
Elsevier, CJC Open, Volume 3, December 2021
Colonization and enforced genocidal strategies have collectively fractured and changed Indigenous people by attempting to erase and dismiss their voices and knowledge. Nearly a decade ago, we were reminded by Dr Ku Young of the cardiovascular health disparities, in evidence among Indigenous people in Canada. compared with White people. He went on to say that beyond a biomedical understanding of this health status is the ongoing impact of long-standing marginalization and oppression faced by Indigenous people.
Elsevier,

Imperiled: The Encyclopedia of Conservation, 2022, Pages 216-221

This chapter advances the UN SDG goals 11, 12, and 3 by highlighting the role of indigenous peoples and local communities’ cultural customs, lores, and practices in relation to managing their land and other natural resources; they need to be appropriately understood and acknowledged for public and environmental policy decision making.
Elsevier,

Energy Democracies for Sustainable Futures, 2022, Pages 215-224

This chapter advances the UN SDG goals 7, 10, and 16 by suggesting that energy does not only need to be democratized but ultimately, needs to be decolonized from the processes that place fossil fuels in the service of settler capitalism, rather than Diné sovereignty. Such a move might enable movements toward energy justice.
Elsevier,

Resilient and Sustainable Cities: Research, Policy and Practice, 2022, Pages 519-535

This chapter advances the UN SDG goals 11, 12, and 13 by offering two alternate approaches to Western planning—city making informed by biophilic systems and First Nations values—through Australian case studies that have similar systems of thought, aspirations, and values. The challenge is for use to adapt (or retrofit) our cities to redress climate change and our consumption values toward crafting robust, resilient, respectful and sustainable places.
Elsevier,

Multi-Hazard Vulnerability and Resilience Building: Cross Cutting Issues, 2023, Pages 127-143

This chapter advances the UN SDG goals 11 and 10 by developing a practical philosophy that elaborates elements from the Indigenous knowledge system for hybrid epistemologies from which actions can be developed for disaster risk reduction.
Elsevier,

Multi-Hazard Vulnerability and Resilience Building: Cross Cutting Issues, 2023, Pages 347-361

This chapter advances the UN SDG goals 11 and 10 by contextualizing how the integration of indigenous practice and scientific knowledge of DRR can support development organizations and policymakers in planning effective and practical activities to mitigate and manage disaster risk in indigenous communities. This conceptual article argues that indigenous knowledge can assist in becoming more aware of disaster risks, implementing a successful local disaster management plan, and conducting scientific research and training.
Elsevier,

Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment, 2023, Pages 275-294

This chapter advances the UN SDG goals 12 and 10 by attempting to explore, analyze, and demonstrate the different traditional methods practiced by indigenous communities of the NE India, in context to NRM. It also explores various aspects of TEK and practices like indigenous farming and irrigation systems, conservation of sacred forests, age-old ethnobotanical knowledge, and cultural customs and rituals of different tribes of NE India.
Elsevier,

Conservation of Marine Birds, 2022, Pages 321-344

This chapter advances the UN SDG goals 12 and 11 by focusing mainly on the IPLC perspective in seabird conservation. By understanding this worldview and the associated approaches, we can set the stage to build a bridge between both groups in an effort to achieve more effective approaches to seabird conservation.