Grant: Fellowship - Priority Announcement: IAPH Quantitative Research

In recent decades, Aboriginal peoples in Canada have become increasingly urbanized. Due to a history of social, economic, and political inequalities, urban population growth has been accompanied by high rates of movement between reserve/rural areas and urban areas, as well as within urban areas. Aboriginal women make up a large proportion of this mobile population, and the majority are lone parents. Frequent moving can impact health, and frequent movers and urban newcomers may experience unique difficulties in accessing health services. Further to this, Aboriginal women face poorer health when compared to non-Aboriginal Canadian women and many do not access timely prenatal care, which may contribute to poor health outcomes for mothers, children, and families. Despite these circumstances, urban Aboriginal women remain under-represented in Canadian Aboriginal health research. To address these knowledge gaps, this research addresses the distinctive health needs of mobile urban Aboriginal women of reproductive age. This project seeks to understand how factors such as moving from place to place, being part of social networks, and accessing culturally relevant health services impact holistic health. We also examine how frequent movement to or within the city of Toronto impacts access to prenatal and childbirth services for young Aboriginal families. This project is undertaken in partnership with an Aboriginal-led community health service program that provides maternity care to Aboriginal mothers. We will conduct a survey that focuses on the health and health care service experiences of 500 Aboriginal women of reproductive age and 500 of their children. Their knowledge will be used to inform responsive, culturally relevant health care interventions that will serve to improve the health of Aboriginal women and families.