Exploring the determinants of health for First Nations peoples in Canada: can existing frameworks accommodate traditional activities?

It is argued that there is the potential to move from the analysis of traditional activities to a more nuanced analysis of cultural attachment and many of the determinants of health identified in analyses of the Canadian population in general hold for First Nations peoples.

Abstract

While much research has examined First Nations peoples' health in Canada, few studies have explored the role of traditional activities in enhancing health. Using data from the 1991 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), this paper incorporates a set of measures of traditional activities within a determinants of health framework for understanding First Nations peoples' health. Results from the analyses undertaken show that many of the determinants of health identified in analyses of the Canadian population in general hold for First Nations peoples. While only a few statistically significant relationships between health status and traditional activities were identified, taking into account the limitations of the APS and other conceptual issues, we argue that there is the potential to move from the analysis of traditional activities to a more nuanced analysis of cultural attachment.