Indigenous Health Monitoring, June 2026
Inside you will find six short summaries of articles indicating their relevance to public health work. Click the title to access the full article.
Literature reviews
In Canada, immunization coverage of First Nations communities remains suboptimal. Childhood immunization barriers and enablers that are specific to those communities have not yet been synthesized. This rapid review identifies them on different levels: parents, care providers and the health system. Vaccine hesitancy can be explained by a complex interaction of sociocultural (e.g., communication issues), emotional (e.g., fear of needles), logistical (e.g., availability of transportation) and institutional (e.g., appointment times) factors. This situation is exacerbated by a mistrust of the healthcare system and institutions.
Implementing healthcare decolonisation for Indigenous people: A systematic review
Decolonization is a complex concept whose application to healthcare practices is sometimes difficult to understand for non-Indigenous staff. This review of recent global research points to the importance of self-determination in health, as well as the dynamics of epistemic oppression related to colonialism, which influence social inequities in health. Words and actions that concretely support community governance and integrate Indigenous knowledge into Western science can lead to a true sharing of power. For example, using storytelling during a medical visit honours Indigenous knowledge while removing the Western script that can shape the meeting between a caregiver and a patient.
Measuring Indigenous cultural strengths: A systematic review of a decade of approaches
In the literature about Indigenous peoples, culture is often described as a protective factor, i.e. an asset that contributes to improving and maintaining health. The heterogeneity of Indigenous living situations and multiple definitions of culture limit the ability to quantify associations between culture and health. This review describes measurements used in quantitative studies over a ten-year period. These include a sense of belonging, language and traditional medicine. These factors are expressed through behaviour and beliefs. According to the authors, it may be impossible to represent the richness of Indigenous cultures quantitatively.
Positive childhood experiences and mental health among Indigenous peoples: A scoping review
Positive childhood experiences provide advantages and resources that foster the healthy development and wellbeing of children. This scoping review looks at their association with mental health in Indigenous children and adults. Positive experiences are grouped into four major types (relations, culture, land and identity), indicating that wellbeing can be encouraged in many ways. These include significant relations during childhood, enriching cultural activities and spaces (including access to the land), and opportunities for personal discovery that can provide guidance for the future.
Participatory research
Nunavik has one of the highest rates of tuberculosis in the world, yet despite an abundance of monitoring data, the literature contains little about the experiences of those affected. This participatory research rooted in Indigenous methodologies draws on Inuit expertise and experience in caring for tuberculosis. Seven calls to action place the individual at the heart of care, including increasing local screening and care services, reducing stigma around the disease, hiring Inuit healthcare workers and implementing Inuit-led cultural safety training.
This project to co-create public health messages about eating and wellbeing demonstrates a solid partnership between experts in the field and elderly and young New Zealanders. The latter were fully involved as content creators rather than simply consumers. The project incorporated evidence-based recommendations and Indigenous knowledge in formulating practical and culturally relevant health advice. The young people prioritized messages that are motivational and inspiring (e.g., “Let’s try to…”) rather than prescriptive, evoking a journey along a continuum of behaviours rather than setting numerical targets. The use of Māori words and concepts reinforced the cultural relevance of the recommendations.
New publication from INSPQ
This guide complements a knowledge synthesis in support of actions to promote wellbeing and prevent suicide. It includes examples of existing initiatives and case histories demonstrating the seven principles identified.