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Background: Suicide is a major public health concern worldwide. Sri Lanka has the fourth highest suicide rate in the world, with trends suggesting that underlying factors related to suicide risk remain poorly understood, and may differ from those observed in high-income countries (HICs). Aim: The purpose of this study was twofold: First, to update country-wide suicide trends from 2009 to 2015 among geographic regions (districts), and second, to evaluate the association between suicide rates and demographic factors, social determinants, health-care access, and hospital presentations due to psychiatric illness. Methods: National- and district-level suicide rates were calculated from 2009 to 2015 using data from the police statistics unit. These data were used in conjunction with sociodemographic and population health data from the 2012 Census to evaluate the interrelationships. Both correlational and regression statistical models were employed. Results: Population density (PD), access to health resources, and social determinants including poverty, education, and employment were found to be associated with suicide rates in a correlational model. However, with regression analysis, low PD was the sole significant predictor of suicide risk. This finding supports the suggestion that suicide is a significant concern in rural areas, particularly in Sri Lanka and other LMICs. We found only a weak association between psychiatric morbidity and suicide rates in this study. While this is counterintuitive, it is in keeping with other reports from LMICs. It is suggested that LMICs may need unique suicide prevention strategies distinct from suicide prevention models adopted in HICs. Conclusion: We found a positive association between rurality and suicide risk, and a weak association between psychiatric morbidity and suicide rate in Sri Lanka.

Background: Health research knowledge translation (KT) is important to improve population health outcomes. Considering social, geographical and cultural contexts, KT in Inuit communities often requires different methods than those commonly used in non-Inuit populations. Objectives: To examine the extent, range and nature of literature about health-related KT in Inuit communities. Design: A scoping review was conducted. A search string was used to search 2 English aggregator databases, ProQuest and EBSCOhost, on 12 March 2015. Study selection was conducted by 2 independent reviewers using inclusion and exclusion criteria. To be included, studies had to explicitly state that KT approaches were used to share human health research results in Inuit communities in the Circumpolar North. Articles that evaluated or assessed KT approaches were thematically analysed to identify and characterize elements that contributed to KT success or challenges. Results: From 680 unique records identified in the initial search, 39 met the inclusion criteria and were retained for analysis. Of these 39 articles, 17 evaluated the KT approach used; thematic analysis identified 3 themes within these 17 articles: the value of community stakeholders as active members in the research process; the importance of local context in tailoring KT strategies and messaging; and the challenges with varying and contradictory health messaging in KT. A crosscutting gap in the literature, however, included a lack of critical assessment of community involvement in research. The review also identified a gap in assessments of KT in the literature. Research primarily focused on whether KT methods reflected the local culture and needs of the community. Assessments rarely focused on whether KT had successfully elicited its intended action. Conclusions: This review synthesized a small but burgeoning area of research. Community engagement was important for successful KT; however, more discussion and discourse on the tensions, challenges and opportunities for improvement are necessary.