Perceptions of Beverages With Non-nutritive Sweeteners Among Indigenous Adults Living in Manitoba and Implications for Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of Indigenous adults on consuming beverages with non-nutritive sweeteners.

METHODS

In this work, we used a community-based, participatory design in partnership with National Indigenous Diabetes Association, Four Arrows Regional Health Authority, and Fearless R2W. We conducted 74 qualitative interviews with Indigenous adults living in Manitoba, including Island Lake First Nations (n=39), Flin Flon (n=15), and the North End neighbourhood of Winnipeg (n=20). Data were indexed in NVivo, and transcripts were analyzed thematically.

RESULTS

Participants exclusively discussed beverages with non-nutritive sweeteners (BNNSs) as an alternative to regular pop or sugary drinks, which were widely available, accessible, and consumed. Why or how BNNSs were viewed as an alternative comprised 3 subthemes: an alternative for health reasons; divergent taste preferences; and an alternative with mysterious but negative health effects. Participants who reported regular consumption of BNNSs largely described consuming them to manage type 2 diabetes. Fewer participants discussed BNNS as a means of weight management or as a preventive health behaviour. Participants who did not report regular BNNS consumption described not liking the taste of BNNSs. Finally, many participants described negative health impacts of consuming BNNSs, and specifically aspartame, although few articulated what those negative impacts were.

CONCLUSIONS

Divergent perspectives among Indigenous adults regarding the health implications of consuming BNNSs may reflect ongoing scholarly debates. These findings have implications for the prevention and dietary management of type 2 diabetes in Indigenous communities.

"Nothing About Us, without Us." How Community-Based Participatory Research Methods Were Adapted in an Indigenous End-of-Life Study Using Previously Collected Data

La recherche en santé autochtone au Canada a été négligée dans le passé et qualifiée de problématique, notamment en raison du manque de collaboration avec les peuples autochtones. L'Énoncé de politique des trois Conseils sur l'éthique de la recherche avec des êtres humains décrit au chapitre 9 la conduite éthique de la recherche axée sur les Premières nations, les Inuits et les Métis. Les principes PCAP® des Premières nations (propriété, contrôle, accès et possession) soulignent l'importance majeure de l'engagement et de la gouvernance autochtones. En vue d'assurer que les buts et les activités de la recherche développée soient réalisés en partenariat complet et significatif avec les peuples et les communautés autochtones, il est possible de faire appel à des méthodes de recherche participative communautaire (RPC) intégrant leur plein engagement. Les recherches utilisant des ensembles de données secondaires, telles que les données administratives sur la santé recueillies en routine, ne devraient plus être exclues de cette approche. Notre objectif était de décrire comment notre équipe de chercheurs universitaires, alliée à un organisme national de santé autochtone, a adapté les méthodes de RPC dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche utilisant des données recueillies antérieurement pour examiner les lacunes dans la prestation de soins de fin de vie aux peuples autochtones en Ontario. Nous décrivons le processus d'élaboration de ce partenariat de recherche et expliquons comment l'intégration des principes de base et des processus de formation du savoir autochtones ont guidé cette collaboration. Notre partenariat de recherche, qui implique l'adaptation de méthodes de RPC, illustre un processus d'engagement qui pourrait guider d'autres chercheurs désirant mener des recherches en santé autochtone à l'aide de données déjà recueillies. Nous faisons aussi état d'une entente de recherche transparente, négociée équitablement entre un organisme national de santé autochtone et des chercheurs, qui pourrait servir de cadre pour des collaborations de recherche similaires. Il est essentiel de s'assurer que les perspectives autochtones soient au cœur des processus de recherche et qu'elles soient reflétées dans ceux-ci lorsque des données administratives sur la santé sont utilisées.

Indigenous health research in Canada has a chequered past and has been identified as problematic and lacking in appropriate collaboration with Indigenous people. The Tri-Council Policy Statement on Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, Chapter 9 describes ethical conduct of research regarding First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples. First Nations Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession (OCAP®) Principles highlight the necessity of Indigenous engagement and governance. To ensure that the aims and activities of the research being developed are in full and meaningful partnership with Indigenous peoples and communities, community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods provide a process in which full engagement is possible. Research utilizing secondary data sets, such as routinely collected health administrative data, should no longer be excluded from this approach. Our aim was to describe how our research team of academic researchers and a national Indigenous health organization adapted CBPR methods in a research project using previously collected data to examine end-of-life health care service delivery gaps for Indigenous people in Ontario. We describe the process of how we developed our research partnership and how grounding principles and Indigenous ways of knowing guided our work together. Through the adaptation of CBPR methods, our research partnership illustrates a process of engagement that can guide others hoping to conduct Indigenous health research using previously collected data. We also present a transparent research agreement negotiated equally by a national Indigenous health organization and research scientists, which can also be used as a framework for others wishing to establish similar research partnerships. Ensuring that Indigenous perspectives are central to and reflected in the research process is essential when using health administrative data.