Health Effects of Development in the Hudson Bay James Bay Region

This literature review indicates that although native people in the Hudson Bay/James Bay region have experienced significant improvements in he.alth status in recent years, their he.alth is still considerably worse than that of other Canadians. Chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure have become more prevalent, and injuries, poisonings and violence are at epidemic levels. In some native communities the prevalence and incidence of formerly infrequent chronic diseases have now surpassed those observed in non-native populations. The evidence reviewed suggests that these trends can be attributed to a variety of positive and negative factors, the improved availability of he.alth services, behaviours such as smoking and alcohol use, factors relating to the physical environment, and social, economic and cultural changes and possible biological differences between natives and non-natives. The most important factors identified were the social, economic and cul