dc.contributor.advisor	McMullen, Linda	en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Lawson, Karen	en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Teucher, Ulrich	en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Dickson, Geraldine	en_US
dc.creator	Calverley, Kristin	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2013-01-03T22:31:53Z
dc.date.available	2013-01-03T22:31:53Z
dc.date.created	2012-07	en_US
dc.date.issued	2012-08-13	en_US
dc.date.submitted	July 2012	en_US
dc.description.abstract	Hypertension in Aboriginal peoples in Canada is on the rise, and the average age of onset is decreasing. Yet, little is presently known about how hypertension --diagnosis and treatment-- is perceived by Aboriginal persons currently diagnosed with the disease. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate urban Aboriginal persons’ attitudes, beliefs, and approaches toward hypertension diagnosis and treatment recommendations. A second purpose was to engage with Aboriginal communities in action research to promote health and awareness of hypertension in a way that meets the communities’ needs. I conducted the research from a critical theoretical perspective and action research methodology. Methods included individual interviews with 11 urban Aboriginal persons residing in Saskatoon who were diagnosed with hypertension by a health care provider, followed by a subsequent focus group with a sample of these interviewees. Being a non-Aboriginal researcher, I conducted this research with guidance from an Aboriginal advisory group who acted as a bridge between me and the community and helped to ensure ethical and cultural appropriateness of the study. I conducted thematic analyses of the interviews and focus group discussions. Findings revealed that overall the respondents adopted the dominant biomedical discourses for health. Specifically, respondents aligned with the individual responsibility framework for health rather than a broader-based view of responsibility. Additionally, respondents demonstrated their knowledge and expertise of biomedical knowledge, despite the persistence of perceived power imbalances and colonial exchanges within health care encounters with Aboriginal patients. Finally, respondents also tended to align with a biomedical approach to the treatment of hypertension, including the use of antihypertensive medications and lifestyle modifications. My analyses also demonstrated that tremendous variability in beliefs and orientations toward health existed in my sample of urban Aboriginal persons. The findings from the present research suggest that such diversity is crucial to consider during health care encounters, as a single approach will not suit the needs of all Aboriginal patients. Although the adoption of biomedical discourses remains prominent, future interventions need to consider the role of macro-level forces on health. Dissemination included a newspaper article, executive summary, and discussions with Aboriginal health policy analysts.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10388/ETD-2012-07-534	en_US
dc.language.iso	eng	en_US
dc.subject	Hypertension	en_US
dc.subject	Aboriginal peoples	en_US
dc.subject	Social determinants of health	en_US
dc.subject	Aboriginal determinants of health	en_US
dc.title	Urban Aboriginal Peoples’ Health Beliefs and Adherence to Treatment for Hypertension	en_US
dc.type.genre	Thesis	en_US
dc.type.material	text	en_US
thesis.degree.department	Psychology	en_US
thesis.degree.discipline	Psychology	en_US
thesis.degree.grantor	University of Saskatchewan	en_US
thesis.degree.level	Doctoral	en_US
thesis.degree.name	Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)	en_US

Urban Aboriginal Peoples’ Health Beliefs and Adherence to Treatment for Hypertension

Files

Original bundle

License bundle

Collections