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Objective: The aim of this project was to describe the work organisation in the Sami communities and in reindeer-herding work and to explore the range of female duties and compare how men and women experience their psychosocial working conditions.

Design: A kind of intervention study was performed by means of a questionnaire sent out to 200 individuals from seven Sami communities. Questions were asked about work organisation, communication, personal relations, solitary work, support, participation and appreciation from colleagues and women's tasks. Meetings and discussions were held about what was perceived as being important in the life of the Sami communities. Notes from 16 group discussions were written down and analysed according to themes of topics relating to how men and women in the Sami communities experience their lives.

Results: Communication and relations were described as being inadequate and some respondents experienced a heavy workload. The women reported more troubled relations, less participation in decision-making and less appreciation from colleagues. Positive issues reported were the Sami identity and a strong connection to the reindeer and to nature.

Conclusions: This study indicates a need for a more systematic study of the psychosocial work conditions in the Sami communities in Sweden. Measures should be taken to develop the organisation of work, e.g. through developing communication strategies and conflict management, which has been requested by several Sami communities.

Background There is a shortage of knowledge on the extent of musculoskeletal symptoms in reindeer husbandry.

Aims To investigate the prevalence and relative risk for musculoskeletal symptoms and perceived psychosocial work strain among reindeer herders.

Methods The prevalence of self-reported musculoskeletal symptoms during the last week and last year, respectively, were obtained from male reindeer herders (n = 74) of northern Sweden. Prevalence ratios (PRs) were calculated using two reference groups-women of reindeer-herding families (n = 53) and men in blue-collar occupations (n = 194). Comparisons were made of perceived job strain between the study and reference groups. Associations between job strain factors and the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms from different body regions were analysed with regression statistics.

Results The PRs for musculoskeletal symptoms from the hand/wrist (PR 3.48, 95% CI 1.86-6.50) and lower back (PR 1.44, 95% CI 1.06-1.95) were significantly higher among the reindeer herders in comparison with men working with other blue-collar occupations. The reindeer herders reported significantly higher work demands and decision latitude compared with both reference groups (P < 0.05). Significant associations were observed between demands and prevalence of symptoms from the lower back (OR 1.42, 95 % CI 1.0 1-2. 0 1) and from at least one body region (OR 1.58, 95 % CI 1.07-2.32).

Conclusions The relative risk for musculoskeletal symptoms, particularly from the hands/wrists and lower back, was high among reindeer herders. It is suggested that musculoskeletal symptoms constitute a considerable health problem in modern reindeer husbandry, which calls for implementation of preventive measures addressing psychosocial, physical and socio-economic risk factors.

Aims: To investigate the confidence in primary health care, psychiatry and social services among the reindeer-herding Sami and the non-Sami population of northern Sweden. Methods: A semi-randomized, cross-sectional study design comprising 325 reindeer-herding Sami (171 men, 154 women) and a control population of 1,437 non-Sami (684 men, 753 women). A questionnaire on the confidence in primary health care, psychiatry, social services, and work colleagues was distributed to members of reindeer-herding families through the Sami communities and to the control population through the post. The relative risk for poor confidence was analyzed by calculating odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals adjusted for age and level of education. Results: The confidence in primary health care and psychiatry was significantly lower among the reindeer-herding Sami compared with the control group. No differences were found between men and women in the reindeer-herding Sami population. In both the reindeer-herding Sami and the control population, younger people (<= 48 years) reported significantly lower confidence in primary health care than older individuals (>48 years). Conclusions: A conceivable reason for the poor confidence in health care organizations reported by the reindeer-herding Sami is that they experience health care staff as poorly informed about reindeer husbandry and Sami culture, resulting in unsuitable or unrealistic treatment suggestions. The findings suggest that the poor confidence constitutes a significant obstacle of the reindeer-herding Sami to fully benefit from public health care services.