First Nations People's Challenge in Managing Coronary Artery Disease Risk

First Nations peoples bring a particular history and cultural perspective to healing and well-being that significantly influences their health behaviors. The authors used grounded theory methods to describe and explain how ethnocultural affiliation and gender influence the process that 22 First Nati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Qualitative Health Research
Main Authors: King, Kathryn M., Sanguins, Julianne, McGregor, Lisa, LeBlanc, Pamela
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publications 2007
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1049732307307918
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1049732307307918
Description
Summary:First Nations peoples bring a particular history and cultural perspective to healing and well-being that significantly influences their health behaviors. The authors used grounded theory methods to describe and explain how ethnocultural affiliation and gender influence the process that 22 First Nations people underwent when making lifestyle changes related to their coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. The transcribed interviews revealed a core variable, meeting the challenge. Meeting the challenge of CAD risk management was influenced by intrapersonal, interpersonal (relationships with others), extrapersonal (i.e., the community and government), sociodemographic, and gendered factors. Salient elements for the participants included their beliefs about origins of illness, the role of family, challenges to accessing information, financial and resource management, and the gendered element of body image. Health care providers need to understand the historical, social, and culturally embedded factors that influence First Nations people's appraisal of their CAD.