RÉSUMÉLa population autochtone au Canada, beaucoup plus jeune que la population générale, a connu une tendance au vieillissement depuis les dix dernières années. Utilisant les données de l’Enquete auprès des peuples autochtones de 2001 (EAPA) et l’Enquête sur la santé dans les collectivités canadiennes (ESCC) de 2000/2001, cet article examine les différences dans l’état de santé et les déterminants de la santé et l’utilisation de soins de santé entre la population autochtone de 55 ans et plus et la population non-autochtone. Les résultats montrent que la population plus âgée autochtone est plus malsaine que la population non-autochtone parmi tous les groupes d’âge; cependant, les différences dans l’état de santé entre les groupes d’âge semblent converger avec l’augmentation de l’âge. Parmi personnes âgées de 55 à 64 ans, 7 pour cent de la population autochtone rapport trois ou plusieurs conditions chroniques par rapport à 2 pour cent de la population non-autochtone. Pourtant, parmi personnes âgées de 75 et plus, 51 pour cent de la population autochtone rapport trois ou plusieurs conditions chroniques par rapport à 23 pour cent de la population non-autochtone.

Physical activity and, more specifically, sport, can positively impact the body, mind, heart, and spirit of Aboriginal youth. Despite enthusiasm for these benefits, there is a paucity of published information reviewing the relationship between sport and physical activity, and Aboriginal youth development. The purpose of this systematic review was to provide an overview of research examining Aboriginal youth development in physical activity and sport settings. A review of literature was conducted up until July 2015 using 10 key databases and non-indexed Indigenous journals. Articles meeting the following criteria were retained: (a) involved an Indigenous population; (b) explored, either through empirical research or conceptualization, the notion of ''positive youth development'' and ''physical activity'', ''sport'', or ''recreation''. Thirty-five articles out of the 10,039 documents identified met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis revealed that physical activity and sport provides many positive developmental opportunities for Aboriginal youth to thrive (e.g., to incorporate Indigenous values and traditional ways, to strengthen resiliency, to improve all aspects of health, and to promote culture and education), as well as possible negative developmental experiences (e.g., racism, bullying, and exclusion). To our knowledge, this article presents the first review of research examining Aboriginal youth development in sport and physical activity and highlights how the activity context can shape Aboriginal youth development.

Recent research has highlighted the cognitive, physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of sport and physical activity participation for Indigenous youth (McHugh, Coppola, & Sinclair, 2013; Hanna, 2009; Lavallée, 2007). Despite the importance of Indigenous peoples participating in sport and physical activity (e.g., Forsyth & Giles, 2013), the meaning of youth development in this context is not well understood. The purpose of this research was to understand Indigenous youth development within the context of sport and physical activity through the voices, stories and experiences of Indigenous youth. Participants were 99 Indigenous youth (52 males and 47 females) between the ages of 15 and 25 years who took part in one of 13 sharing circles. Each of the sharing circles was facilitated by a trained Indigenous youth with guidance from an Elder/Traditional person. A Two-Eyed Seeing approach (Bartlett, Marshall, & Marshall, 2012) was used to analyze the sharing circle discussions. This analytical process involved an initial inductive thematic analysis of the transcribed verbatim data followed by an Indigenous symbolic visual analysis of emerging themes using the Medicine Circle. Results revealed that involvement in sport and physical activity impacted Indigenous youth physically, cognitively, and emotionally. The spiritual impact was not as evident. Findings from the research will inform the development of a measure of Indigenous youth development within sport and physical activity settings.

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