Grant: Team Grant: Pathways Implementation Research Team - Component 2

Through participatory community-based research, we first aim to establish the needs, desires and capacities for each of 4 Aboriginal populations (in Northern Quebec and in BC) in regards to the use of traditional diet (including medicinal plants/foods) and culturally relevant physical activity to improve diabetes prevention and management. We plan to use land-based activities with Aboriginal Knowledge holders, such as nature walks and plant/food identification and collection. The established participatory and collaborative protocols will be promoted in communities through the most appropriate media (written, audiovisual, etc). We will then follow individuals from each community to see if their metabolic parameters are improved by following the dietary and physical activity changes. We will also use plant chemistry and cell biochemistry to make sure that the medicinal plants/foods chosen are safe (alone and in combination with diabetes drugs) and to find out how they work. This will allow us to better advise health authorities to improve diabetes prevention and management in Canadian Aboriginals.