Identifying Perspectives About Health to Orient Obesity Intervention Among Urban, Transitionally Housed Indigenous Children

Abstract

Drawing from a socioecological framework of health, this community-based participatory research study examined key cultural health perspectives of transitionally housed, food insecure Indigenous children (aged 8–12 years) by utilizing talking circles and a 4-day photovoice (PV) curriculum. In total, 18 Indigenous children portrayed their health perceptions by taking photographs of their living environment and categorizing photos as healthy, unhealthy, or mixed. And, 10 of the 18 children completed pre- and post-evaluations, where data elucidated that urban Indigenous children experiencing food and housing insecurity demonstrate unique holistic and socioecological perceptions about health. Healthy themes included nutrition, gardening, interpersonal relationships, food sovereignty, water quality, and natural and built environments. Unhealthy themes included cumulative stress, food insecurity, access and cost, screen time, smoking, and violence. We found that implementing these robust insights into urban Indigenous obesity prevention interventions could significantly drive success. This approach may benefit children with similar socioecological strengths and vulnerabilities.

Returning to Our Roots: Tribal Health and Wellness through Land-Based Healing

“…Land then serves as an active agent in healing, provides a culturally appropriate location to conduct a healing, and supports the common factors of healing found in most health interventions around the world (Johnson-Jennings et al 2020b). Even more, Indigenous land-based initiatives are entrenched within community knowledge, guided by community elders and knowledge keepers, and often arise from the community as grassroots initiatives, sometimes in partnership with Indigenous and allied scientists (see Billiot 2017;Jennings et al 2019;Jennings et al 2020;Jennings and Lowe 2014;Walters et al 2011;Walters et al 2018). Thus, engaging upon the land can serve as a potentially effective and sustainable approach to health.…”

“…By systematically removing Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands, connections to ancestral wisdom and the transmission of Indigenous cultural protective factors have been severely disrupted (Baskin 2016;Jennings et al 2020;Walters et al 2011). This settler colonialism has been described as a systematic imperial act of taking territory by force in distant lands and replacing the population with new settlers (Wolfe 2006).…”

Social Influences on Engagement With HIV Testing, Treatment and Care Services Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Living in Rural Uganda

“…Socio-ecological models have been used analytically in health research to examine the diverse influences on people's health seeking practices (Casey et al, 2009;Jennings et al, 2020;Muller et al, 2019;Wheeler & Early, 2018).These models have facilitated exploration of interpersonal, institutional and public policy influences on key populations' access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care many international settings (Lazuardi et al, 2020;Mitchell et al, 2019;Whitford et al, 2021) including Uganda (Nakiganda et al, 2021;Tumwine et al, 2019Tumwine et al, , 2020. Socio-ecological models have predominantly been used to examine barriers to accessing services.…”

American Indian Behavioral Health Treatment Preferences as Perceived by Urban Indian Health Program Providers

“…This attendance to the holistic needs of behavioral health clients may reflect ideas that go beyond treatment to become a form of holistic healing and fostering of all-around wellbeing. Such models and understandings have been suggested as especially relevant to American Indian clients and communities in past research (e.g., see Gone, 2009; Jennings et al, 2020), and it is possible these values are being demonstrated in practice today at some level at these Urban Indian Health Programs.…”