Improving Health Outcomes in Indigenous Communities – Net Newsledger

April 23, 2019

THUNDER BAY – HEALTH – The field of immunology is an ever-evolving landscape. For example, several studies have found that the incidence rates of allergies in the Indigenous population of Canada report lower than the average of the non-Indigenous population; yet allergies and asthma are considered to be the second-highest health concern within the Indigenous population. Why is this the case? To answer this question, we will begin by exploring the current landscape for allergies in Canada followed by an analysis of how social determinants impact health outcomes, specifically allergy rates, in Canada’s Indigenous population.

A 2015 study conducted by AllerGen found that one in 13 Canadians are impacted by allergies, amounting to 7.5 per cent of the population. An allergy is defined as an adverse immune system response to the exposure of a food protein or environmental antigens. Despite its prevalence in the population, Asthma Canada states that it “is often underestimated, under-diagnosed, and under-treated.”

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