Wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the United States: A Systematic Review

Alana Gall, Kate Anderson, Kirsten Howard, Abbey Diaz, Alexandra King, Esther Willing, Michele Connolly, Daniel Lindsay and Gail Garvey
Additional contact information
Alana Gall: Wellbeing and Preventable Chronic Disease Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia
Kate Anderson: Wellbeing and Preventable Chronic Disease Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia
Kirsten Howard: School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Abbey Diaz: Wellbeing and Preventable Chronic Disease Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia
Alexandra King: Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2Z4, Canada
Esther Willing: Kōhatu–Centre for Hauora Māori, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
Michele Connolly: International Group for Indigenous Health Measurement, Columbia, MD 21045, USA
Daniel Lindsay: Wellbeing and Preventable Chronic Disease Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia
Gail Garvey: Wellbeing and Preventable Chronic Disease Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT 0810, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-31

Abstract: Despite the health improvements afforded to non-Indigenous peoples in Canada, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the United States, the Indigenous peoples in these countries continue to endure disproportionately high rates of mortality and morbidity. Indigenous peoples’ concepts and understanding of health and wellbeing are holistic; however, due to their diverse social, political, cultural, environmental and economic contexts within and across countries, wellbeing is not experienced uniformly across all Indigenous populations. We aim to identify aspects of wellbeing important to the Indigenous people in Canada, Aotearoa and the United States. We searched CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO and PubMed databases for papers that included key Indigenous and wellbeing search terms from database inception to April 2020. Papers that included a focus on Indigenous adults residing in Canada, Aotearoa and the United States, and that included empirical qualitative data that described at least one aspect of wellbeing were eligible. Data were analysed using the stages of thematic development recommended by Thomas and Harden for thematic synthesis of qualitative research. Our search resulted in 2669 papers being screened for eligibility. Following full-text screening, 100 papers were deemed eligible for inclusion (Aotearoa (New Zealand) n = 16, Canada n = 43, United States n = 41). Themes varied across countries; however, identity , connection , balance and self-determination were common aspects of wellbeing. Having this broader understanding of wellbeing across these cultures can inform decisions made about public health actions and resources.

Keywords: indigenous health and wellbeing; First Nations; indigenous people/s; wellbeing; well-being; culture; quality of life; QoL (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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