Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

In Canada there are many claims that Aboriginal peoples, specifically First Nations, are particularly vulnerable to low levels of health literacy. These claims are relevant to the health of First Nations communities not only because of evidence indicating that Aboriginal Canadians have poorer health than their non-Aboriginal counterparts but also because health literacy has been identified as an important determinant of health. Indeed low levels of literacy in health settings have been linked to poor clinical and health outcomes. Unfortunately to date there has been little research into the determinants, components and outcomes of First Nations health literacy. Furthermore, how health literacy is constructed, understood and utilized by First Nations peoples has not been extensively studied and no adequate definition exists that takes into account First Nations' theoretical perspectives and approaches to health and healing. Therefore, this session will describe the development of a constructivist grounded theory study to address these knowledge gaps. It will discuss how community engaged scholarship is being used to guide the development of a theory of health literacy that is grounded in the perspectives of First Nations youth. A critique of the current health literacy literature will be provided using a critical, decolonizing lens and the challenges and opportunities of integrating critical social theory with First Nations ways of knowing to address this health inequity will be presented. Furthermore, a discussion around the use of rigorous qualitative methods in Aboriginal health research will be facilitated.