Special Issue on Indigenous communities, Health and Wellbeing

Globally, there are almost a half billion Indigenous individuals. Despite incredible diversity in their ways of life, Indigenous peoples are bound together by their focus on their community and nations. Whether in the deserts, mountains, forests, on islands or in the Arctic, Indigenous peoples always value community as a key resource for surviving and thriving.

We are pleased to announce a forthcoming special issue from the Journal of Community Systems for Health, dedicated to exploring Indigenous communities as systems, sources, and enablers of health, mental health, and wellbeing. We welcome and encourage strength-based research, undertaken by Indigenous communities and/or in close partnership with Indigenous communities, from a wide array of disciplinary perspectives and methodologies.

Scope: We invite submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

- Indigenous Traditional Knowledge, health practices, and their integration into health systems including modern healthcare

- Mental health and resilience in Indigenous populations

- Environmental impacts on the health of Indigenous communities

- Health policy and healthcare access for Indigenous peoples

- The role of Indigenous culture and language in promoting health and wellbeing

- Nutritional aspects of traditional Indigenous diets and their health implications

- The impact of climate change on Indigenous health and lifestyle

- Interdisciplinary and innovative research methods in studying Indigenous health

- Epidemiological studies on health and wellbeing among Indigenous peoples

- Ethical and community collaborative issues in Indigenous health research

- Indigenous children and adolescents health

Guest Editors:

Jon Petter Stoor, PhD, Lávvuo-Research and Education for Sámi health, Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Sweden

Josée G Lavoie, PhD, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Canada

 Submission Guidelines:

We invite original research articles, review articles, lessons from the field, and short communications that provide insightful contributions to the topic. Manuscripts should adhere to the journal’s submission guidelines, available on our website. Submitted manuscripts are expected to include ethics statements, highlighting how ethical guidelines and principles in Indigenous health research have been applied in the research undertaken.

Important Dates:

- Call for Papers Announcement: December 6, 2024

- Manuscript Submission Deadline: May 31, 2025

- Publication Date: December 2025 (but published progressively when accepted)

Submission Process:

Please submit your manuscript through the journal’s online submission system. During submission, clearly indicate in the cover letter that your submission is intended for the special issue on "Indigenous communities, Health, and Wellbeing". Articles will be published on a rolling basis, once they are ready.

We look forward to your contributions to advancing our understanding of the critical challenges the Indigenous peoples experiences regarding their communities, health and wellbeing.

For any inquiries regarding the special issue, please contact the Guest Editor Jon Petter Stoor at  petter.stoor@umu.se