Why is the cost so high? Couldn’t that money be spent in ways that directly help communities?

Surveys are very expensive, especially in remote Inuit communities. For example, it is expensive for survey teams to travel to, and stay, in communities; salary costs for interviewers, community liaisons, nurses and others can add up; and, it’s costly to develop the IT systems needed to collect and store the data. Before government decision-makers, program developers and regional health workers can improve the health of Inuit, they need solid information to help them make decisions.  They need to know how healthy Inuit are, what is going well, what contributes to wellness and where improvements are required. Data from this national survey will provide them with evidence they need to develop programs and target interventions. This will directly help communities.