SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ PHYSICAL ACTIVITY Introduction The link between physical activity and improved physical health is strong. Physical activity, which includes all sports and recreation as well as traditional activities and games, increases strength and energy, improves mental health, prolongs life, and helps prevent and control chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, hypertension, obesity, and bone and joint diseases (First Nations Information Governance Centre [FNIGC], 2018; Lavallée & Lévesque, 2013; Pelletier et al., 2017; Warburton & Bredin, 2019; Wicklum et al., 2019). The physical exertion required for optimal health ranges from moderate (e.g., riding a bike in a non-hilly area, walking swiftly) to vigorous (e.g., jogging, aerobic dancing). Canada’s Physical
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Activity and Healthy Eating Guide (Canada, 2021) recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily and that adults, including seniors, engage in at least 150 minutes weekly. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples are strongly aware of the connections between physical activity and holistic health—that is physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being (Coppola et al., 2020; Hudson et al., 2020; Lavallée & Lévesque, 2013; McHugh et al., 2019). Data show the correlation between Indigenous Peoples’ 1 physical activity and their overall wellness. The 2018 First Nations Regional Health Survey (FNIGC, 2018) found that individuals who were active were more likely to report having excellent health, normal weight, and fewer health
conditions. According to this survey, active people also tended to consume more nutritious foods, including traditional foods, have good support, and feel in balance physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Holistic benefits of physical activity include feelings of cultural connectedness (Ironside et al., 2020), cultural knowledge and knowledge transmission through traditional activities (Abraham, 2021; Arellano et al., 2019; johnson & Ali, 2020), and improved mental health (Redvers, 2020). Yet, there is a much higher incidence of obesity and chronic diseases among Indigenous Peoples when compared with the general Canadian population, which is often attributed to sedentary behaviours (FNIGC, 2018), as well as higher levels of mental health challenges (Valeggia & Snodgrass, 2015). The solution
“Indigenous” is used to refer to the three distinct groups of peoples: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. In general, we use it here rather than “Aboriginal,” the adjective used to refer to Indigenous Peoples in the Canadian Constitution Act, Section 35(2). We recognize the diversity and cultural integrity both among and within these groups.
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