Ethical Challenges and Lessons Learned from Inuulluataarneq — “Having the Good Life” Study: A Community-Based Participatory Research Project in Greenland

Abstract

We present the ethical challenges and lessons learned over the course of a four-year community-based participatory research (CBPR) project conducted on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Greenland. Specifically discussed is Inuulluataarneq-the "Having the Good Life" study. Inuulluataarneq is an interdisciplinary international, collaborative CBPR study involving the University of Toronto in Canada, the Greenlandic Medical Research Council, the Centre for Primary Care in Nuuk, the University of Greenland, local health partners and communities in Greenland, the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark, and Montana State University in the United States. Inuulluataarneq is the first CBPR project implemented in Greenland. Ethical issues discussed are: (1) the complexity of working with multiple institutional review boards on an international health research project using a CBPR framework; (2) unexpected influences on health policy; and (3) the dynamic of balancing community decision making and practices with academic research requirements and expectations. Inuulluataarneq's primary contribution to understanding ethical issues when conducting research in the Arctic involves an acceptance of the time, patience, and dedication of researchers and community partners it takes to discuss, understand, and process differing ethical viewpoints and procedures.