Understanding Indigenous Health Literacy Through Community-Led Engagement

Context: This is the last in a four-part series that describes the outcome of a mixed-methods participatory social justice (MMPSJ) research project. A community engagement model was designed by participants as a synthesis of working with urban Indigenous peoples living on Treaty Six Territory and traditional homeland of the Metis in Saskatchewan, Canada. It responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions calls to Action 10, 18-20. Community-based participatory health research (CBPHR) often sees the community as a place to undertake research in; this research saw the community as providing the leadership for the research.

Objective: To show how MMPSJ work can help to shift from community-based to community-led research.

Design: Mixed-methods participatory social justice and community-based participatory health research.

Participants: Twelve Indigenous people representing four intergenerational families were invited to two Talking Circles to respond to questions derived from the Aboriginal Regional Health Surveys; as well as answer the following questions: What are the current connections between literacy and health within urban Indigenous families? What literacy issues continue to marginalize the community? How would you like this knowledge disseminated? This research was reviewed and approved by the University of Saskatchewan’s Behavioural REB.

Results/Findings: Knowledge of Treaty Six teachings was increased; participants described the social justice/transformative nature of this work an opportunity to be seen well and whole; and the Community Engagement Model evolved within the MMPSJ design.

Conclusions: Community-based research can be transformed to being community-led through careful consideration of power and authentically engaging with the community at each step in the process.