Grant: Operating Grant

Living and social conditions in some First Nations communities are characterized by personal, social and physical environments that are associated with adverse respiratory outcomes. Characterization of conditions will provide communities with information to assist in obtaining resources to make change, for example in housing conditions. In partnership with the rural communities of Beardy's and Okemasis First Nation and Montreal Lake Cree Nation, the project will consist of baseline evaluations, intervention activities, and prospective evaluations of respiratory health and intervention activities in children and adults. Based on the 4 phase concept of the First Nations Regional Health Survey, the project aims to evaluate individual factors (air quality, cigarette smoke, chest infections, obesity), and contextual factors (socio-economic, socio-cultural, colonization, access to health services) on the outcomes of asthma (especially in children), chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnea, with the communities undertaking interventions aimed at redressing the issues. This is an opportunity to conduct a project that includes knowledge translation and knowledge exchange by participatory research and intervention where the people are involved in all stages of research and intervention, thereby increasing their ownership and empowerment for change, and is grounded in the community by involving Band Councillors, elders, and youth.