Society for Social Medicine awards Ida Helotie’s Master’s thesis

Ida Helotie studies in the Master’s Programme in Public and Global Health at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Tampere University. The thesis was supervised University Lecturer, Docent Tarja Kinnunen.

In her thesis, Helotie examines indigenous experiences of the food system, the changes that have taken place in it, and the impact of the changes on health and mental health. In her thesis, Helotie draws on extensive survey data collected by a multidisciplinary research project from a total of 100 adults living on the west coast of Greenland.

“Helotie excellently highlights the importance of involving indigenous people in the development of the services and activities targeted for them, which can have a significant impact on health and well-being,” the Society argues.

The results suggest that traditional food systems, such as hunting and fishing, play an important role not only for the community, but also for the health and mental health of community members in the circumstances of climate change and sociocultural changes.

The award was presented on 9 December at the Health Research Days, organised by the Society for Social Medicine in Finland, Tampere University, and the Sustainable Welfare Systems research programme.

Master’s thesis:
Helotie, Ida (2021), Traditional food system, self-rated health, and mental wellness in Greenland.
Thesis in Tampere University’s open publications repository