Library and Academic Services: Indigenous Health & Well-Being: Chronic Disease

Chronic Disease - Introduction

Chronic Disease

High rates of chronic health conditions do not occur in isolation, rather health inequalities are shaped by— and rooted in—the inseparable relationship between health and generations of racist colonial policies. The effects of colonization have resulted in a legacy of environmental dispossession, degradation of the land, substandard living conditions, inadequate access to health services, social exclusion and dislocation from community, language, land, and culture.

National Report on First Nations Regional Health Survey

Websites and Documents

Diabetes in Canada: Facts and Figures from a public Health Perspective
Type 2 diabetes is a health concern among Canada's First Nations and Inuit. First Nations on reserve have a rate of diabetes three to five times higher than that of other Canadians. Rates of diabetes among the Inuit are expected to rise significantly in the future given that risk factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, and unhealthy eating patterns are high.
Hepatitis C in First Nations Living on Reserve
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The virus spreads through contact with blood. Over time and without treatment, HCV can damage the liver and cause liver cancer. HCV is curable.
HIV in First Nations Living on Reserve
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the immune system. Early treatment and culturally safe care and support help people with HIV live longer and healthier lives.
HPV (Human Papillomavirus)
The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in Canada. HPV is a virus that spreads easily. It affects about 3 out of 4 sexually active Canadians, at least once in their lifetime. Teens are particularly at risk of contracting it once they are sexually active.
Obesity in Canada – Prevalence among Aboriginal Populations
Because there is no one data source for obesity among all First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada, this section provides a picture of obesity prevalence in Aboriginal populations by summarizing the findings from a number of relevant surveys. It begins by presenting recent estimates of obesity and research results for Aboriginal people including First Nations off-reserve, Inuit and Métis, and continues with separate group-specific data for First Nations (on and off-reserve), Inuit and Métis populations.
Tuberculosis in Indigenous Communities
For most people in Canada, the risk of developing active TB is very low. However, the rates of active TB are higher among Indigenous peoples in Canada
Addressing the challenge of latent tuberculosis infection among Indigenous peoples in Canada
Infectious diseases, like tuberculosis (TB), were introduced to Indigenous populations in Canada through colonization. By the mid-20th century, TB had reached epidemic proportions, especially in the Arctic, with devastating social and health impacts. Over the years, the federal government has implemented several strategies aimed at eliminating TB in Indigenous communities. Despite such efforts, rates of TB remain disproportionately high among Indigenous peoples, with the bulk of reported cases coming from isolated, remote, and northern First Nations and Inuit communities.
Metis Experience with Chronic Disease in Manitoba
Rising rates of morbidity from diabetes, arthritis, mental disorders, and cardiovascular diseases including coronary artery disease, hypertension, and stroke, are reported across all populations. Rates of diabetes, ischemic heart disease, respiratory morbidity, and arthritis in the Metis population were significantly higher compared to the rest of the Manitoban population.
National Report of the First Nations Regional Health Survey (2018
See Phase 3 Volume 1 Chapter 3
High rates of chronic health conditions do not occur in isolation, rather health inequalities are shaped by—and rooted in—the inseparable relationship between health and generations of racist colonial policies. The effects of colonization have resulted in a legacy of environmental dispossession, degradation of the land, substandard living conditions, inadequate access to health services, social exclusion and a dislocation from community, language, land and culture. These policies have been clearly linked to adverse health consequences for individuals and community.
Path to Prevention: Recommendations for Reducing Chronic Disease in First Nations, Inuite and Metis
It is clear from the knowledge and experience shared by communities, organizations and individuals in focus groups and interviews that a broad range of social determinants of Aboriginal health affect the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Factors such as colonialism, racism, social exclusion and self- determination have a profound effect on First Nations, Inuit and Métis health and are responsible for the socio-economic inequities that exist between First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and the general Ontario population. Socio-economic factors are a fundamental cause of health inequities and an important contributor to population health outcomes.
Preventing and Managing Chronic Disease in First Nations Communities: A Guidance Framework
Historically, First Nations led physically active lifestyles and consumed traditional diets comprised of nutritionally rich foods harvested from the land. Over the past century and a half social, political, economic, and environmental factors forced changes upon traditional lifestyles and practices of First Nations individuals, families and communities. This has led to generally poorer health in comparison to non-Indigenous Canadians.

Library Resources

Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control by Patrick L. Remington
Location: RA 644.6 .C475 2016 (Located at NDC)
Chronic Disease Epidemiology and Control, Fourth Edition provides an overview of current knowledge and best practices in the prevention and control of major chronic diseases and their risk factors.
Chronic Illness in Canada: Impact and Intervention by Marnie Kramer-Kile; Joseph Osuji
Location: RA 644.8 .C2 C57 2014 (Located at NDC)
Canadian and global perspectives on chronic illness management are addressed throughout the text, and chapters on the role of primary health care in chronic care, family nursing, global health, and chronic illness are included to address the needs of nursing curriculum standards in Canada.
Gift of Diabetes by National Film Board (Streaming)
Publication Date: 2005
Ojibway filmmaker Brion Whitford lives with the pain of advanced diabetes, but shunned traditional Indigenous medicine and healing practices. But as his health deteriorated, he had a change of heart. Join Brion as he connects with his culture, comes to grips with his own mortality, and tries to re-establish balance in his life.
Life Beside Itself: Imaging Care in the Canadian Arctic by Lisa Stevenson
Location: eBook
Publication Date: 2014
A haunting ethnographic journey through two historical moments when life for the Canadian Inuit has hung in the balance: the tuberculosis epidemic (1940s to the early 1960s) and the subsequent suicide epidemic (1980s to the present). Along the way, Stevenson troubles our common sense understanding of what life is and what it means to care for the life of another.
Women and HIV Prevention in Canada: Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice by Jacqueline Gahagan, editor
Location: RA 643.86 .C3 W64 2013 (Located at NDC)
A comprehensive collection of original readings that examine the impact of HIV/AIDS on women in Canada. It takes as its point of departure the lessons from the past two decades of HIV prevention efforts with an eye to advancing research, policy, and programmatic responses in a collaborative, multidisciplinary manner.

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