Engaging Northern Indigenous Children through Drawing for Community Health Research: A Picture of the Social Impact of H. pylori Infection in Fort McPherson in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Abstract

An analysis of drawings made by Indigenous children in the Arctic hamlet of Fort McPherson, Canada, serves the dual purpose of contributing children’s perspectives to community-driven research on H. pylori infection, and demonstrating the utility of employing visual approaches for research involving school-aged children. Insights into their knowledge, attitudes, and experiences relating to this infection yielded important insights for knowledge translation with primary-care providers. Results may be utilized within the broader research program to improve approaches to delivering care for H. pylori infection, by helping to integrate community members’ perspectives into the ideologies of primary-care providers.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks to the staff of Chief Julius School for their support, and especially to the children who participated in the Fort McPherson H. pylori Project logo design contest. While the artists cannot be acknowledged by name since consent was not collected for publishing their identities, this research would not have been possible without their willingness to participate in the contest and to share their contributions for research purposes.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Megan J. Highet

MEGAN HIGHET completed her PhD in Anthropology at the University of Alberta and joined the CANHelp Working Group as a Postdoctoral Fellow from 2015 to 2017. During this time she led several projects to engage children and youth in community-based participatory health research using visual methods. She continues as the Qualitative Research Management Lead for this team. E-mail: [email protected]

Amy Colquhoun

AMY COLQUHOUN completed her PhD in Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. She has fulfilled a variety of roles within the CANHelp Working Group and is currently the Knowledge Translation Lead for the team. E-mail: [email protected]

Rachel Munday

RACHEL MUNDAY is a Registered Nurse with practical experience of working in remote communities in northern Canada. She is a Health Care Facilitator for the CANHelp Working Group’s research activities in the Northwest Territories. E-mail: [email protected]

Karen J. Goodman

KAREN GOODMAN is a Professor in the Dept. of Medicine and the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. She established the CANHelp Working Group and has been its Director since 2007, when the team began conducting community-driven research in the Northwest Territories. E-mail: [email protected]