SAMINOR is one of the most important sources of knowledge about health and living conditions in the Sami and northern Norwegian populations. The aims of the study are to gain insight into the prevalence and risk factors for diseases, to prevent illness and to improve healthcare for all.
SAMINOR collects information about health and living conditions from questionnaires, clinical measurements (e.g., height, weight and blood pressure), and blood samples.
Study participants provide important data for use in health research. Those who undergo a clinical examination are also given a health check-up and shown the results of their tests. This provides information about the health situation of the inhabitants of the areas included in the study, which is useful for municipalities, the Sami Parliament, county councils and health authorities.
Two surveys of health and living conditions have been conducted, SAMINOR 1 from 2003 to 2004, and SAMINOR 2 from 2012 to 2014. SAMINOR 3 is being planned and will cover about 40 municipalities in northern and central Norway, including the 25 that have previously participated. SAMINOR 3 will be conducted with broad user involvement and will use a variety of research methods.
All researchers (PhD level or equivalent) at Norwegian research institutions can apply to analyse data from SAMINOR.
As a general rule, applications are sent to the SAMINOR Project Board before being sent to the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REC). The SAMINOR Project Board holds monthly meetings where applications are reviewed. If an application is approved by the Board, the project manager must then apply to the REC for approval of the project.
The Ethical Guidelines for Sami Health Research state that all Sami health research requires collective Sami consent. The Sami Parliament Council has delegated the authority to provide consent to the Expert Ethics Committee for Sami Health Research. All projects that use data from SAMINOR must apply for collective Sami consent. The Committee has prepared guidelines for application.
The REC approval and collective consent must then be submitted to the Project Board in order for a contract to be drawn up. This contract must be signed before any SAMINOR data is released.
All projects of UiT The Arctic University of Norway that process personal data must be notified to the Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD) in line with the UiT guidelines. The research institution must assess the need to perform a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).
All projects must pay a fee to get access to data. The fee covers part of the expenses associated with the release of data, and contributes to the further management and quality assurance of data in SAMINOR. Prices are set by the Administrative unit for population-based health studies, see Prices on their website.
If you have any questions, please contact the head of SAMINOR Ann Ragnhild Broderstad or the project board secretary Gunnhild Skjold.
Please send your application and attachments to saminor@uit.no.
SAMINOR is a large population-based study and one of the most important sources of knowledge about the health and living conditions in the Sami and Norwegian populations of rural northern Norway.
SAMINOR focuses particularly on the health and living conditions of the Sami and this indigenous perspective makes SAMINOR a unique database nationally and internationally. The Centre for Sami Health Research (CSHR) is responsible for the SAMINOR Study and cooperates with various research teams involved in health research in indigenous communities in Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark/Greenland and Sweden.
Two surveys on health and living conditions have been completed, SAMINOR 1 (2003-2004) and SAMINOR 2 (2012-2014). SAMINOR 3 is being planned.
Year |
Name |
Number of participants |
2003-2004 |
16 865 women and men |
|
2012 |
11 600 women and men |
|
2012-2014 |
6004 women and men |
|
2021-2022 |
SAMINOR 3: Qualitative Interview Study (ongoing) |
|
2023-2025 |
SAMINOR 3: Questionnaire Survey and Clinical Survey (in planning) |