Measuring Wellness Through Indigenous Partnerships: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Indigenous wellness has been defined in varying contexts by diverse Indigenous Peoples. The existing indicators used to measure wellness are often defined from a Western perspective. Despite the rich conceptualizations of Indigenous wellness, there exists a notable gap in how it can be measured in contemporary contexts through an Indigenous lens. A scoping review methodology with the aim of identifying measures of wellness developed through Indigenous partnerships was carried out. We completed a systematic search in the following electronic databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Psych Info Academic Search Complete, SocIndex, and the Native Health Database. We then carried out a two-stage article screening process to identify eighteen relevant papers. Content analysis was then used to identify (1) the major categories for the partnership contexts utilized in the process for measuring Indigenous wellness and (2) the kinds of measures developed. Five main categories were characterized, including the following: (1) building relationships that uphold Indigenous worldviews is important, (2) a call for co-development protocols that weave multiple worldviews, (3) the need to increase awareness of the limitations in measuring Indigenous wellness, (4) community-specific context is important, and (5) a call for strengths-based indicators. Governments, organizations, and research partners are called upon to support the co-development of meaningful engagement protocols that privilege and reflect Indigenous voices and perspectives when measuring Indigenous wellness.