| Summary: | As the population of First Nations peoples ages, the need for health care will increase. First Nations peoples experience health disparities and hospitalization at a rate much greater than non-First Nations people. In Saskatchewan, the portion of First Nations between 0 and 19 years of age makes up approximately half of their population. These youth must make some positive changes in regards to their health in order to change this trend. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to discover, from the point of view of the First Nations youth in the Paths to Living Well for On-Reserve Youth Photovoice (PLWP) project, their meaning of health, what makes and keeps them healthy or unhealthy, as well as common themes, and beliefs about health, and if these beliefs change over time. It also identified elements that influence health and explored the use of photographs as data for secondary analysis. The use of photographs as a source of data for secondary analysis was also investigated. The setting was Standing Buffalo Dakota First Nation where eight Dakota participants were recruited from the participants in the PLWP project. These 3 males and 5 females ranged in age 12 to 21. Data was collected using the photographs they chose and photoelicitation used the SHOWeD format. Participants identified three themes that related to what makes and keeps them healthy. The first is people: connected across the generations in which they acknowledged the contribution of family, role models and role modeling, and teaching and learning to their health. The second theme involved the contribution that cultural items and activities make to their health, and how culture is pervasive throughout every aspect of their lives. Lastly, they recognized the environment as providing a place for health, as well as representing the health of the people.
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