Community Health Indicators (Phase 3)

The objective of this project was to develop health indicators for First Nations using the traditional knowledge of these communities. The health indicators could be a tool to analyse risks from contamination of water, air, and land. The project was initiated and coordinated by the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne and was national in scope, involving five First Nations communities across Canada.

The goal of the project was to develop a quantitative methodology for measuring community health, based on an Indigenous world view, so measurements could be analysed and compared among communities. The project also attempted to address the challenge of integrating Western indicators of health (i.e., measures of human health, mental health, social indicators of health, economic indicators, political indicators, and environmental health indicators) with the Indigenous measures of health and life relevant for First Nations.

The project team used a visual method for assessing community health, where each aspect of health was plotted as a ray from a central point. By connecting each ray, a polygon was created, representing overall community health. This method allowed comparisons with a polygon representing a reference “healthy community”.

This was only a preliminary evaluation. This project revealed some questions about the proposed evaluation system and the revision of some criteria was necessary. To develop a successful risk assessment model that can be tailored to individual communities, the researchers recommended new communities be involved to help define a set of indicators common to all communities.