Exploring the perspectives of caregivers of urban Inuit children on child health knowledge mobilisation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Our study sought to explore the experiences of caregivers of urban Inuit childrenwith respect to child health knowledge acquisition to developcommunity-specific best practices for health promotion initiatives. A needs assessment wasconducted to understand how caregivers access child health knowledge andservices; what child health issues require improved knowledge mobilisation; andhow caregivers would like to access this knowledge. Four focus groups were heldwith twenty-four parents and caregivers of Inuit children. Child healthknowledge acquisition was influenced by dynamics of trust and discrimination,making caregivers’ social networks and Indigenous health services highly valuedsources. Health topics identified as requiring improved knowledge mobilisationwere those in which caregivers faced tensions between Indigenous andnon-Indigenous ways of knowing. Such topics included parenting and development,adolescent mental and sexual health, common childhood illnesses, infant care,and nutrition. Caregivers preferred a multi-modal approach to health promotion, highlightingimportance of in-person gatherings while also valuing accessible multi-media components. Thepresence of Elders as facilitators was especially important for childdevelopment, parenting, and nutrition. For health promotion to beeffective, it must consider community-specific health knowledge sharingprocesses; tensions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of knowing;and community ownership in health promotion endeavors.