pixem re yecwme'nstut : hunting to care of one's self

Indigenous peoples of Canada are more affected by chronic health disparities relative to the rest of the Canadian population. The onset of illness and health conditions relate to the colonization the population that separated Indigenous peoples from their land and culture, imposed through Western European values. Prior to colonization Indigenous peoples were free of chronic disease and illness that result from physical inactivity. Increased levels of physical activity (PA) positively impacts overall health. Hunting is a form of PA practiced in many Indigenous communities. The purpose of the study is to monitor the PA of Indigenous participants while they are hunting to determine whether participants’ obtaining adequate levels of physical activity. The Canadian Physical Activity Guideline defines adequate levels of PA as 150-minutes of moderate-to-vigorous levels of physical activity a week or 30-minutes per day to maintain fitness. The hypothesis is that participants engaged in hunting can exceed 30-minutes of PA at a moderate to vigorous level of intensity in one day. With a community based participatory approach, the observational study is a within study design, where participants used accelerometers and heart rate monitors on four separate days (two hunting; two non-hunting). The participants resting heart rate (HR), and HR reserve were used to individualize thresholds of PA. Intensity was observed through movement (position, steps) and HR. Although moderate (29.1 ± 36.8 minutes) (P= 0.68) and vigorous (20.7 ± 40.4 minutes) (P= 0.39) intensities did not statistically differ between hunting and on-reserve days, participants achieved the recommended 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity per day while hunting. Steps indicate significantly greater opportunity for movement while hunting, accumulating iii 13235 ± 3681 compared with 7470 ± 3773 on-reserve not hunting (P= 0.01). Consideration should be given to promoting hunting as a viable PA for Indigenous peoples.Health and Social Development, Faculty of (Okanagan)Health and Exercise Sciences, School of (Okanagan)Graduat