Pages 626-629 in R. Fortuine et al., eds. Circumpolar Health 96. Proceedings of the Tenth International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Anchorage, Alaska, 1996. Int J Circumpolar Health. 1998;57 Supp 1.
Danish Institute for Clinical Epidemiology, Section for Research in Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
Source
Pages 626-629 in R. Fortuine et al., eds. Circumpolar Health 96. Proceedings of the Tenth International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Anchorage, Alaska, 1996. Int J Circumpolar Health. 1998;57 Supp 1.
The socioeconomic classification used in Western societies is not directly applicable to Greenland where other factors, such as success as a hunter, participation in community life, and raising children, also convey status and must be included in a status coding. In the 1993 Greenland Health Interview Survey the participants' hunting activities were estimated through a number of questions. Nineteen percent of male Greenlanders classified themselves as hunters when asked about their primary occupation, but in another question an additional 10% stated that they relied on hunting for a living. When asked about their job, hunters were confused as to whether hunting was considered a job by the researchers. This uncertainty may explain the difference between the two questions regarding classification of individuals as hunters. For future research it is necessary to develop a socioeconomic status classification which is culturally sensitive and suited to contemporary Greenlandic society.