Promoting Slhánay̓ Sḵwálwen (Indigenous Women's Heart Health): Findings From Sharing Circles With Squamish Nation.

J Nutr Educ Behav

Food, Nutrition and Health Research Group, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes, Providence Health Care Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada. Electronic address:

Published: August 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • The objective of the study was to gather insights from Squamish Nation citizens to co-develop a model for foraging walks aimed at improving heart health among Indigenous women.
  • The study, which involved sharing circles with community members and Elders, revealed a general lack of knowledge about foraging and nutrition related to heart health, but participants expressed a strong desire to learn more about traditional foods through land-based activities.
  • The findings indicated that foraging walks could enhance various dimensions of heart health while also leading to the development of a template for future programs and educational resources within the community.

Article Abstract

Objective: To gather knowledge and experiences from Squamish Nation citizens to codevelop a model of foraging walks for Indigenous women's heart health.

Design: Qualitative study (sharing circles).

Setting: Vancouver, Canada (virtual).

Participants: Squamish Nation community members (n = 9), Elders or Knowledge Keepers (n = 5), and researchers (n = 2).

Intervention: Community-led foraging walks as a culturally safe nutrition education strategy.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Perspectives and experiences.

Analysis: Content analysis and narrative synthesis.

Results: Personal experiences of foraging walks or knowledge of traditional plants were limited for most participants, and all desired to learn more about traditional foods using land-based activities. Participants identified a lack of nutrition education surrounding heart health and common mistreatment and judgment from health professionals. Participants identified important elements of a future Squamish program, including who should be involved, how to implement it, and the most effective temporal and physical setting. All agreed foraging walks help promote 5 dimensions of heart health (physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, and social) through physical activity, purposeful nutrition, and connection to community and culture. Findings from the sharing circles were used in the creation of a template for future foraging sessions and contributed to plant identification cards for the whole community.

Conclusions And Implications: Community-based pilot studies to test foraging walks as a culturally safe and environmental approach to nutrition education and cardiovascular health awareness for Indigenous communities are warranted. Research to examine the similarities and differences across Indigenous groups related to understanding heart health and land-based practices for nutrition education and heart health awareness is needed.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2024.04.003DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

heart health
20
foraging walks
20
nutrition education
16
squamish nation
12
indigenous women's
8
women's heart
8
findings sharing
8
sharing circles
8
walks culturally
8
culturally safe
8

Similar Publications

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) induces an imbalance in T helper (Th) 17/regulatory T (Treg) cells that contributes to of the dysregulation of inflammation. Exercise training can modulate the immune response in healthy subjects.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the effects of exercise training on Th17/Treg responses and the differentiation of Treg phenotypes in individuals with COPD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Large-scale gene-environment interaction (GxE) discovery efforts often involve analytical compromises for the sake of data harmonization and statistical power. Refinement of exposures, covariates, outcomes, and population subsets may be helpful to establish often-elusive replication and evaluate potential clinical utility. Here, we used additional datasets, an expanded set of statistical models, and interrogation of lipoprotein metabolism via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based lipoprotein subfractions to refine a previously discovered GxE modifying the relationship between physical activity (PA) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Increasing age is associated with an increased incidence of necrotising fasciitis. In this study, we aimed to compare the clinical presentation, investigations, microbiology and clinical outcome in elderly (age ≥60 years) and nonelderly (age <60 years) patients with extremity necrotising fasciitis.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients with extremity necrotising fasciitis who were surgically treated between January 2005 and December 2021 was conducted.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Infant alertness and neurologic changes can reflect life-threatening pathology but are assessed by physical exam, which can be intermittent and subjective. Reliable, continuous methods are needed. We hypothesized that our computer vision method to track movement, pose artificial intelligence (AI), could predict neurologic changes in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!