Poster Presentation

DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE MEASURES OF COMMUNITY HEALTH AND CAPACITY FOR USE IN FIRST NATIONS HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS

Bonnie Jeffery and Sylvia Abonyi

This poster presentation outlines a research project being conducted with the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) and the Athabasca Health Authority (AHA) in northern Saskatchewan to develop tools for use in their health organizations. The primary purposes of the research are 1) to develop culturally appropriate and relevant indicators to assess changes in community health and community capacity, and 2) to develop an evaluation framework that can be used to assess the community health impacts of health and other community-based human services. This multi-phased project is being conducted in collaboration with PAGC, AHA, six First Nations communities and three northern provincial communities. We summarize the research to date that addresses culturally appropriate health indicators and the meanings and indicators of community capacity. We outline our use of logic models in the methodology of the research strategy for this project as well as for the collaborative research process that is developing. On this latter point, we highlight several challenges and strengths of the approach we are using to develop community-university research partnerships and to produce research findings that are useful for First Nations health managers.

Bios

Bonnie Jeffery is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social Work, University of Regina and also has an appointment as Research Faculty with the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU). She has had extensive experience in community-based research and is currently involved in several projects that involve an examination of the influence of social determinants on health and how these vary by gender and Aboriginal status.

Sylvia Abonyi is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina and Research Faculty with the Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU). Dr. Abonyi is an anthropologist interested in the influences of culture and identity on health. Her theoretical interests are focused through investigations of issues that range from HIV/AIDS and diabetes through the delivery of health services. Additional areas of interest include the use of multimedia strategies for knowledge sharing and community-university research partnership protocols.

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