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Special Issue "First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal Perspectives of Health Promotion and Wellbeing"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2024 | Viewed by 8603

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Michael Wright

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School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Interests: First Nation research; participatory action research; mental health and wellbeing; decolonising research; systems change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Just under half a billion First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal people live globally, making up just over six percent of the global population. Globalisation and colonisation have impacted greatly on the health and wellbeing of First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal populations. Consequently, First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal people make up almost twenty percent of people living in poverty globally [1]. With deep spiritual and familial connection to Land and Country, First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal people rely on the protective factors of culture to maintain physical health and social and emotional wellbeing. In Australia health promotion from a First Nation worldview perspective takes into account country, language, culture, kinship and self-determination to support living healthy lives [2]. Health promotion efforts cover a range of health aspects including healthy lifestyles, immunization, sexual health, mental health, healthy eating, environmental health, injury/accident prevention, men’s and women’s health, and parenting and birthing.

Effective communication, co-design approaches, decolonising research methodologies, Indigenous research frameworks, and Community-led participatory action research strategies feature prominently in First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal health promotion efforts to increase control over their health and its determinants, and thereby improve and protect their health [3].

Scholarly papers addressing these topics are invited to this special issue, particularly those with a practical focus where solutions are led by First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal communities.

References

[1] International Labour Organization. 2019. Implementing the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169: Towards an inclusive, sustainable and just future. Available online: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_735607.pdf (accessed on 29 April 2022).

[2] Wright, M.; Lin, A.; O’Connell, M. Humility, inquisitiveness, and openness: Key attributes for meaningful engagement with Nyoongar people. Adv. Ment. Health 2016, 14, 79–81. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/18387357.2016.1173516

[3] World Health Organisation (WHO). Bangkok Charter of Health Promotion in a Globalized World. 2008. Available online: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/205976/B3280.pdf (accessed on 29 April 2022).

Dr. Michael Wright
Guest Editor

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 semimonthly 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

health promotion
Australian First Nations mental and physical health
social, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing
social and mental and spiritual health determinants
decolonising mental health and health systems

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Open AccessArticle

“Ngany Kamam, I Speak Truly”: First-Person Accounts of Aboriginal Youth Voices in Mental Health Service Reform

Hunter Culbong

Ashton Ramirez-Watkins

and

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(11), 6019; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20116019 - 31 May 2023

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Abstract

Aboriginal young people are experts in their own experience and are best placed to identify the solutions to their mental health and wellbeing needs. Given that Aboriginal young people experience high rates of mental health concerns and are less likely than non-Indigenous young people to access mental health services, co-design and evaluation of appropriate mental health care is a priority. Increasing Aboriginal young people’s participation in mental health service reform is key to ensuring services are culturally secure, relevant and accessible. This paper presents first-person accounts from three Aboriginal young people who worked alongside their Elders and in a positive and constructive partnership with mainstream mental health services on a three-year participatory action research project in Perth, Western Australia, in Whadjuk Nyoongar boodja (Country). The young people recount their experiences as participants and co-researchers on a systems change mental health research project and share their views on the importance of privileging Aboriginal youth voices. Their accounts highlight that Aboriginal young people’s participation and leadership must be understood through a decolonising lens and that working in genuine partnership with the community is key to increasing their contact and engagement with mental health care and improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal Perspectives of Health Promotion and Wellbeing)

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Open AccessPerspective

The Other Side of the ACEs Pyramid: A Healing Framework for Indigenous Communities

Maegan Rides At The Door

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Sidney Shaw

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4108; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054108 - 25 Feb 2023

Viewed by 2347

Abstract

For over two decades, extensive research has demonstrated significant associations between adverse childhood events (ACEs) and a wide range of negative health, mental health, and social outcomes. For Indigenous communities globally, colonization and historical trauma are commonly associated with ACEs, and these effects reverberate through generations. While the ACEs conceptual framework expanded pyramid is a useful model and a visual aid for understanding the historical and present-day dimensions of ACEs in Indigenous communities, a healing conceptual framework is needed to outline a path toward increased community well-being. In this article, we provide a holistic Indigenous Wellness Pyramid that represents the other side of the ACEs pyramid to guide pathways toward healing in Indigenous communities. In this article, the authors describe the Indigenous Wellness Pyramid according to each of the following contrasts with the ACEs pyramid: Historical Trauma—Intergenerational Healing/Indigenous Sovereignty; Social Conditions/Local Context—Thriving Economic and Safe Communities; ACEs—Positive Childhood, Family, and Community Experiences; Disrupted Neurodevelopment—Consistent Corrective Experiences/Cultural Identity Development; Adoption of Health Risk Behaviors—Cultural Values and Coping Skills; Disease Burden and Social Problems—Wellness and Balance; Early Death—Meaningful Life Longevity. We provide examples, supporting research, and implications for implementing the Indigenous Wellness Pyramid. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal Perspectives of Health Promotion and Wellbeing)

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Te Maramataka—An Indigenous System of Attuning with the Environment, and Its Role in Modern Health and Well-Being

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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2739; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032739 - 03 Feb 2023

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Abstract

The connection between the natural environment and human health is well documented in Indigenous narratives. The maramataka—a Māori system of observing the relationships between signs, rhythms, and cycles in the environment—is underpinned by generations of Indigenous knowledge, observation, and experimentation. The maramataka enabled Māori and our Pacific relatives to attune with the movements of the environment and ensure activities essential for survival and well-being were conducted at the optimal times. A recent revival of the maramataka in various communities in New Zealand is providing uniquely Indigenous ways to ‘reconnect’ people, and their health, with the natural environment. In a world where people have become increasingly disconnected from the natural environment, the maramataka offers an alternative to dominant perspectives of health. It also provides a mechanism to enhance the many facets of health through an understanding of the human–ecosystem relationship in a uniquely Indigenous way. This conceptual paper (i) highlights a uniquely Indigenous way of understanding the environment (the maramataka) and its connection to health, (ii) discusses the connections between the maramataka and scientific research on health and the environment, and (iii) introduces current and potential applications of the maramataka in improving health and well-being. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal Perspectives of Health Promotion and Wellbeing)

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Special Issue "First Nation, Indigenous and Aboriginal Perspectives of Health Promotion and Wellbeing"

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