Grant: Fellowship - PA: Health Services/Population Health HIV/AIDS Research

Due to complex social, economic, racial, and gender inequalities, Aboriginal peoples in Canada are disproportionately affected by health disparities, violence, and poverty. Aboriginal peoples, primarily women, are also over-represented in the sex trade, with estimates as high as 60% in some urban areas. However, within the field of Canadian research on Aboriginal health, two groups remain understudied, Aboriginal peoples living in urban areas and Aboriginal women. There is a clear urgency, therefore, to fill the gap in knowledge and awareness of this important topic. This study consists of an in depth needs assessment (NA) of Aboriginal sex workers in Toronto and Thunder Bay. Guided by an Aboriginal Advisory Committee, the NA will lead to exciting discoveries and lessons-learned about promising-practices in campaigns to improve the health and safety of Aboriginal sex working communities. It lays the foundation for further research into the complex health needs and social contexts of Aboriginal sex workers in major urban and northern rural areas, exploring how social services, community organizations, reserves, and Elders can function as facilitators or barriers to health equity. A qualitative research approach employing in-depth interviews in combination with an environmental scan of available services is an effective way to investigate how to improve the health of this particular vulnerable community. The findings of such a project will have important implications for the translation of evidence-based research into the development and implementation of public health policies and social practice.