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Global Indigenous Health: Maintaining Health in the Midst of Disruption

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2022) | Viewed by 19537

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Interests: indigenous communities; decolonizing healing while transforming narratives of trauma; land-based healing; indigenous psychology; community based participatory research, community-engaged research; health promotion/chronic disease prevention; food and obesity addiction prevention

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Guest Editor
School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
Interests: health equity; indigenous; historical trauma; land-based healing; settler colonialism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will address Indigenous global health within an ever-changing environment. In particular, we invite work on health behavior, chronic disease and health promotion, environmental health, and digital health in Indigenous communities across the world. We especially seek articles related to Indigenous knowledges (IK) that include traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), climate change adaptation, pandemic impact, and ancestral knowledge is maintained for health and wellbeing across lifespans. Given that land and water are sources of healing and play a prominent role in the lives of Indigenous people, we especially encourage qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies focused on land-based healing and disease prevention. To honor these knowledges, we request submissions that are developed or co-developed with and by Indigenous peoples.

Dr. Michelle Johnson-Jennings
Prof. Dr. Karina L. Walters
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • global Indigenous health
  • global environmental changes
  • Indigenous knowledges
  • land-based healing
  • community-based adaptation
  • disparity and disease prevention

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1944 KiB  
Article
Understanding the Associations among Social Vulnerabilities, Indigenous Peoples, and COVID-19 Cases within Canadian Health Regions
by Kimberly R. Huyser, Aggie J. Yellow Horse, Katherine A. Collins, Jaimy Fischer, Mary G. Jessome, Emma T. Ronayne, Jonathan C. Lin, Jordan Derkson and Michelle Johnson-Jennings
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12409; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912409 - 29 Sep 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2636
Abstract
Indigenous Peoples are at an increased risk for infectious disease, including COVID-19, due to the historically embedded deleterious social determinants of health. Furthermore, structural limitations in Canadian federal government data contribute to the lack of comparative rates of COVID-19 between Indigenous and non-Indigenous [...] Read more.
Indigenous Peoples are at an increased risk for infectious disease, including COVID-19, due to the historically embedded deleterious social determinants of health. Furthermore, structural limitations in Canadian federal government data contribute to the lack of comparative rates of COVID-19 between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. To make visible Indigenous Peoples’ experiences in the public health discourse in the midst of COVID-19, this paper aims to answer the following interrelated research questions: (1) What are the associations of key social determinants of health and COVID-19 cases among Canadian health regions? and (2) How do these relationships relate to Indigenous communities? As both proximal and distal social determinants of health conjointly contribute to COVID-19 impacts on Indigenous health, this study used a unique dataset assembled from multiple sources to examine the associations among key social determinants of health characteristics and health with a focus on Indigenous Peoples. We highlight key social vulnerabilities that stem from systemic racism and that place Indigenous populations at increased risk for COVID-19. Many Indigenous health issues are rooted in the historical impacts of colonization, and partially invisible due to systemic federal underfunding in Indigenous communities. The Canadian government must invest in collecting accurate, reliable, and disaggregated data on COVID-19 case counts for Indigenous Peoples, as well as in improving Indigenous community infrastructure and services. Full article
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19 pages, 2294 KiB  
Article
Adapting Traditional Healing Values and Beliefs into Therapeutic Cultural Environments for Health and Well-Being
by Bruno Marques, Claire Freeman and Lyn Carter
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(1), 426; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010426 - 31 Dec 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 16004
Abstract
Although research has long established that interaction with the natural environment is associated with better overall health and well-being outcomes, the Western model mainly focuses on treating symptoms. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, the Indigenous Māori have long demonstrated significantly more negative health outcomes than [...] Read more.
Although research has long established that interaction with the natural environment is associated with better overall health and well-being outcomes, the Western model mainly focuses on treating symptoms. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, the Indigenous Māori have long demonstrated significantly more negative health outcomes than non-Māori. Little research has examined the causes compared to Western populations or the role of the natural environment in health outcomes for Māori. An exploration of rongoā Māori (traditional healing system) was conducted to ascertain the importance of landscape in the process of healing. Eight rongoā healers or practitioners took part in semi-structured narrative interviews from June to November 2020. Transcribed interviews were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis and Kaupapa Māori techniques. The findings show how rongoā is underpinned by a complex set of cultural values and beliefs, drawing from the connection to wairua (spirit), tinana (body), tikanga and whakaora (customs and healing), rākau (plants), whenua (landscape) and whānau (family). Incorporating such constructs into the landscape can foster our understanding of health and well-being and its implications for conceptualising therapeutic environments and a culturally appropriate model of care for Māori and non-Māori communities. Full article
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