Globally, Type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions within the Aboriginal population, and cardiovascular disease is another epidemic in the making. In response, study after study has called for more prevention programs and clinical services to prevent and manage these conditions. However, indigenous people working in the area of health contend that biomedical and health promotion interventions are not enough. Social, cultural, economic, and political interventions are required, and in order to develop these interventions, Aboriginal policy makers, program developers, and health service professionals need information that can account for the broader social determinants of diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. This paper demonstrates, through a retrospective analysis of the Manitoba First Nations Regional Health Survey (Canada), that a more holistic account of diabetes and hypertension rates can be achieved when the interaction between individual and social-ecological variables is examined. The analysis was based on a sample of 1,870 First Nation adult (18 years and older) residents from seventeen randomly selected Manitoba First Nation communities (Canada). After adjusting for individual level social determinants (gender, age, socioeconomic status, financial disparity, traditonality, health risk history, and chronic disease risk factors), community level measures (e.g., isolation from health services, economic deprivation, and inadequate housing) accounted for moderate levels of variation in diabetes and hypertension rates. In conclusion, researchers, policymakers, program developers, and health service professionals need to think beyond biomedical and health promotion interventions by advocating for social, cultural, economic, and political interventions that can improve the broader social determinants of Aboriginal health.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to: 1) Understand the broader social determinants of diabetes and hypertension in Aboriginal communities. 2) Identify social ecolocial contexts that can account for variations in diabetes and hypertension rates in Aboriginal communities. 3) Critically apply multilevel analysis to the planning and evaluation of health conditions and health services in Aboriginal communities.
Keywords: Chronic Diseases, Native and Indigenous Populations
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
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