The similarities in mortality patterns are probably a result of centuries of close interaction between the Sami and the non-Sami, while the observed differences might be due to lifestyle, psychosocial and/or genetic factors.

No abstract

Previously reported differences in CVD mortality between Sami and non-Sami, and Sami men and women, can only partly be explained by different exposure to the psychosocial and behaviour risk factors investigated in this study.

Classification of Sami into RS and NRS indicates that a traditional lifestyles defined by occupation is reflected in differences in food and nutrient intake.

High mortality rates from AMI rather than stroke explain the excess mortality for CVD previously shown among Sami women. The results suggest that the differences in incidence of stroke between herding and non-herding Sami men, and between Sami women and non-Sami women, are caused by behavioural and psychosocial risk factors rather than by traditional socioeconomic ones.