| Summary: | Background: Public health emergencies, such as influenza pandemics, continue to disproportionately impact Aboriginal Canadians (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis), especially those populations residing in geographically remote areas. Previous influenza pandemic plans reflected inadequacies with regards to addressing the pre-existing inequalities and special needs of Aboriginal Canadians during an influenza pandemic, and this may be attributed to their limited participation during preparedness efforts. Significant barriers hinder the ability of Aboriginal Canadians to effectively participate in preparedness efforts and there is a limited amount of information of how to operationalize their participation. By addressing the identified barriers to participation, community-based participatory research (CBPR) offers a promising framework and strategy to facilitate the effective participation of Aboriginal Canadians in influenza pandemic preparedness efforts. Objectives: The overall objective of this dissertation was to explore the use of CBPR approaches to engage community members in directing how to improve local influenza pandemic preparedness in remote and isolated Canadian First Nations communities. This dissertation consisted of five manuscripts grouped into three overarching studies; all of which employed a CBPR approach. The objectives for Study I were to qualitatively identify the needs and explore the potential of using a collaborative health informatics system (CHIS) to improve the delivery of health care services during an influenza pandemic response while also identifying any perceived barriers of implementing such a system. Study II used a qualitative questionnaire to examine the experiences, perceptions, and recommendations regarding implementing measures to mitigate the effects of an influenza pandemic. Study III was a cross-sectional survey conducted to gain an understanding of the bird harvesting practices and knowledge, risk perceptions, and attitudes regarding avian influenza among subsistence hunters ...
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