Anna Rita Spein, M. D., Ph. D. Center for Sami Health Research, Karasjok

The influence of religious factors on drinking behavior among young indigenous Sami and non-Sami peers in northern Norway

• Anna Rita Spein, M.D., Ph.D.

• Center for Sami Health Research, Karasjok.

• Faculty of Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway.

• E-mail: [e-mail]

SAPMI: northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland & the Russian Kola Peninsula

• SAPMI: northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland & the Russian Kola Peninsula

• Estimated population size: 100 000

• 70% of the Sami is residing in Norway

• Have their own culture and language

• Norway: formal status as indigenous people

• Historical: colonization of Sapmi, assimilation (Norway) and separation (Sweden) policy

• Norway: 10% semi nomadic reindeer herding

Semi nomadic reindeer herding

Religion in Sami

• Pre-Christian religion – shamanistic - Sami folk music or sacred drum (”runebomma”)

• ”Christianity of Sami” – Laestadianism: pietistic & conservative Lutherian revival movement

• Founder Swedish/Sami priest Lars Levi Læstadius in the mid 1900 century

• Alcohol was regarded as contrary to Christian values – a sin - and a threat to the Sami nomadic lifestyle (Kvist, 1986; Sköld & Kvist, 1988)

Hypothesis

• Less drinking observed among Sami due to their strong influence of Laestadianism (Larsen, 1993)

• Lower alcohol consumption level found among people 18 years and older in the Sami highland when compared to county average – higher church attendance rate – when compared to county/national levels (Saglie & Larsen, 1996)

The North Norwegian Youth Study (NNYS) – design & sample

• Longitudinal, questionnaire survey: (T1) 1994/95 & (T2) 1997/98. T1 sample: totally 2950, including 375 Sami (22%)
• T1: school-based study (RR: 85%)
• T2: school based ＆ postal questionnaire study (RR: 58%)
• T1: 21 high schools in communities in the three northern most counties having an ethnic diverse population
• Based on youth self-report, including several different issues related to both physical and mental health

Measuring Sami ethnicity (Aubert, 1978; Høgmo, 1986; Kvernmo & Heyerdahl, 2003)

Findings:

• Ethnic differences in religious factors:

• Religious importance: personal Christian

• Yes vs. No

• Sami vs. non-Sami: 14% vs. 7%, p≤.001.

• Religious affiliation (Laestadian affiliation or background, either the youth themselves, or their parents seperately)

• Yes vs. No

• Sami vs. non-Sami: 10% vs. 3%, p≤.001.

Findings: Religion was associated with…

• Across ethnic groups………

• Higher youth abstinence rates

• Less current drinking

• Less alcohol intoxication

• Higher parental (mother & father) abstinence rates

• …no association were found to public drinking venue

• In non-Sami:

• Less binge drinking (personal Christian only)

• Less party drinking

Findings: stepwise logistic regression

• Sami ethnicity was only significant associated with 2/6 alcohol measures

• when controlling for religious, socio-demographic and parental factors

• - Current drinking

• - Party drinking

Conclusions

• Laestadianism with it`s religious–socio-cultural context of abstinence contribute to less drinking among indigenous Sami

• Religious – strong anti alcohol norms

• Social (-environmental)– Upbringing in a Laestadian family or community context –less drinking - fewer drinking role models

• Cultural markers of Sami values

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