Healthy Living and Aboriginal Women



Table of Contents

Introduction3

Discussion3

Key Concepts3

Aboriginal Women3

Aboriginal Women Health Status4

Overview of Author's Main Ideas4

Hard Evidence: Health Status of Aboriginal Women4

Soft Logic: Aboriginal Women as Keepers of Health5

Conclusion6

References8

Healthy Living and Aboriginal Women

Introduction

The article by Madeleine Dion Stout looks at the experiences of health and social inequalities among Aboriginal women in Canada, and the connections among these real scenarios and healthy living policies. The health situations of Aboriginal women can be viewed through two narratives: hard evidences and soft logic. Poor health status is documented through hard evidence while soft logic enables us to be primary health stewards. For the comprehension of this tension among hard and soft logic requires getting an insight of the health and social inequalities experience by Aboriginal women and an explanation of the associations among the actualities and policies of healthy living. Biological indicators, behavioral concerns, key demographics, lifestyle and social circumstances that exacerbate health of Aboriginal women have to be measured up to the integrality of our environments and our aspiration and prospective to put in as health caretakers. In due course, to a great extent, “healthy living” for Aboriginal women relies on appropriate, meaningful and responsive policies.

Discussion

Key Concepts

Aboriginal Women

Aboriginal communities in Canada have had an intensely off-putting impact of colonialism as a whole, disturbing not only relations of Aboriginal women with Aboriginal men, but also have hard-pressed lots of Aboriginal women to the outskirts of their own community and Canadian society all together (Jacobs, 2002). Loss of cultural identity, marginalization, stigmatization, and a health condition that falls below that of majority Canadians are some of the consequences of colonization (Health Canada, 2002). In particular, higher risks of complex health issues are faced by aboriginal women in a range of areas s compared to other women within the Canadian population (Health Canada, 1998). This augmented threat is somewhat due to marginalized position of Aboriginal women in society on account of early patriarchal colonizing forces entailing rapid changes within their cultures (Mof?t, 2004; Brodribb, 1984).

Aboriginal Women Health Status

Madeleine Dion Stout put forward that dealing the health necessities of Aboriginal women is essential to understand the related framework of needs of Aboriginal women. Stout (1996) elaborated further by expressing that relatively poor health status of Aboriginal women can only be inferred in the perspective of different health causal factors, encompassing education, socioeconomic conditions, and employment status, physical environment, social support networks, healthy child development and accessibility to health services. The approach of population health makes out that several determinants or factors influence health. Gender is one determinant; while social support networks, employment and workplace setting, income and social status, physical environment, education, biological and genetic factors, healthy child development, social background, individual health practices and managing skills, culture and healthier services are included among others (Deiter & Otway, 2001).

Overview of Author's Main Ideas

Hard Evidence: Health Status of Aboriginal Women

In Canada, the unhealthiest group is Aboriginal Peoples. (CPHI, 2004) However, an inconsistent burden of ill health is being experienced by Aboriginal women, as compared to ...