Indigenous health promotion in Canada

While much of the Canadian population enjoys good health, health status in Canada still follows steep social gradients of inequality. From obesity and cardiovascular disease, to sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, and suicide, Indigenous people in Canada face a disproportionate burden of disease. It doesn't have to be this way, and Indigenous peoples across Canada are pouring energy into creative calls for action.

This video by Anishinaabe hip hop artist and CBC producer Wab Kinew video translates data from youth participants in the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey into hip hop lyrics for a youth audience. Congrats to Wab Kinew and the FNIGC for their great work! For more info, visit the the First Nations Information Governance Centre.

The living history of colonialism in Canada is a reminder that public health involves a commitment to pragmatic solidarity - a commitment to struggle alongside Indigenous peoples to address the political and economic conditions that cause and perpetuate poverty and poor health.