Grant: Cat Gr: Disease Prev./Risk Factor Mod.- Non-communicable diseases for Indigenous

Indigenous peoples exhibit clear health and wellness disparities that must be addressed. We have worked extensively in Indigenous communities designing culturally appropriate health and wellness interventions (CIHR-funded). This includes the development of a novel experiential and community-based learning program for healthy lifestyle behaviours within Indigenous communities. Through this work, we have established several gaps in our understanding of the best means to address the aspirations of Indigenous communities (particularly remote and isolated communities) with respect to chronic disease prevention, health, and wellness. A main critical gap in our understanding relates to the integration of traditional Indigenous heath and wellness practices within modern healthcare settings. Moreover, extremely limited Indigenous led research has been conducted that meets the aspirations of remote and isolated Indigenous communities. Accordingly, through this proposed research, we will explore culturally and traditionally appropriate means for reducing the risks for chronic disease in remote and isolated First Nations communities. This will build upon our previous work that has facilitated a greater understanding and acceptance of traditional Indigenous health and wellness practices across all sexes and genders. Our research will examine how the integration of traditional and culturally appropriate Indigenous health and wellness practices can affect the health and wellness of the entire community within remote and isolated regions.