The Health of Ontario First Nations People

Abstract

Objective: To describe the health of First Nations adults residing on Ontario reserves using data from the Ontario First Nations Regional Health Survey (OFNRHS).Method: Communities were randomly selected; individuals were systematically selected based on gender and age. Health questions were parallel to those used in the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) and included general health, chronic conditions, substance use, and health service utilization.Results: Response rate was 86% (N=1094) in participating communities; 23 of 30 selected communities participated. Most OFNRHS respondents reported that their health was good or better. Comparisons of OFNRHS participants with NPHS Ontario respondents showed: some chronic health conditions (including diabetes, high blood pressure) were more common; a greater proportion reported smoking; and a substantially lower proportion indicated that they consumed alcohol in the past year. Conclusions:The OFNRHS provides important province-wide data to inform decisions by the First Nations people about how to intervene effectively to improve their health status.La traduction du résumé se trouve à la fin de l'article.

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“…2 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in 2008 was US$ 2,441. 3 Compared to Australia, which had a GDP per capita of US$ 47,400 in the same year, 4 this seemingly bleak figure has not caused as much of a problem for the local Vanuatu people as can be imagined. In Vanuatu, the predominant economy for most people is not based on cash, but on traditional money.…”

“…The concept of yàhnchìhng 人情 ('favour, indulgence') plays a salient role in Hong Kong Cantonese society, as it governs the way in which people should interact with others. The reason why this keyword was chosen for analysis is that it is a reflection of the widespread Chinese idea that the individual is 'inherently connected to others', 2 and thus behaves with regard to the needs of others, as noted by several psychologists 3 .…”

“…The essence of the business culture in Japan is the notion that the firm exists to keep people employed and that profit is perceived as a long-term goal, a notion which is supplemented by building market share rather than profit. 3 Serving society and their employees as a main priority instead of maximising shareholder value, as in many Western firms, is rooted in Japanese culture. This stems from both the Tokugawa (1603-1868) and Meiji period (1868-1912), 4 and the Second World War period in Japan, where having a rich economy could only be accomplished by everyone working for the good of the nation and not through the pursuit of personal gain.…”

“…8,9 Even in the stipulated 'healthy' BMI range of 20-25, indigenous communities have much higher incidences of diabetes, 2 with one study quoting it as 11 cases per 1000 person-years (in the 20-25 BMI range) compared with less than 3 cases per 1000 years for people of European descent. 10 The risk of a higher BMI range is even greater with one study quoting the relative risk 3 Incidence rates in the Australian indigenous population increased with increasing age, from 2.2 per 1000 person-years for those younger than 25 years to 39.9 per 1000 person-years for those 45-54 years (Table 1). 7 However, there was a slight drop in the incidence rate for those aged 55 years or older (30.5/person-years).…”

“…Indigenous Australians or the Aborigines of Australia are defined as people who identify themselves as indigenous to Australia and identify their ancestry as connected with the people of the past, that is, the residents of Australia pre-colonisation. 3,4 The aim of this paper is to present a multifactorial model for Type 2 Diabetes among Indigenous Australians.…”