THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: Understanding How Physical Environments Influence the Health and Well-Being of First Nations Peoples Living On-Reserve Roberta Stout
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THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: Understanding how physical environments influence the health and well-being of First Nations peoples living on-reserve Roberta Stout EMERGING PRIORITIES © 2018 National Collaborating Centre This publication is available for Citation: Stout, R. (2018). The built for Aboriginal Health (NCCAH). This download at: nccah.ca. All NCCAH environment: Understanding how physical publication was funded by the NCCAH materials are available free and can environments influence the health and well- and made possible through a financial be reproduced in whole or in part being of First Nations peoples living on- contribution from the Public Health Agency with appropriate attribution and reserve. Prince George, BC: National of Canada. The views expressed herein do citation. All NCCAH materials are Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal not necessarily represent the views of the to be used solely for non-commercial Health. Public Health Agency of Canada. purposes. To measure the impact of these materials, please inform us of For further information or to obtain Acknowledgements their use. additional copies, please contact: The NCCAH uses an external blind Une version française est également National Collaborating Centre for review process for documents that publiée sur le site ccnsa.ca, sous Aboriginal Health (NCCAH) are research based, involve literature le titre : Le milieu bâti : Comprendre 3333 University Way reviews or knowledge synthesis, l’influence de l’environnement physique Prince George, BC, V2N 4Z9 or undertake an assessment of sur la santé et le bien-être des Premières Tel: 250 960 5250 knowledge gaps. We would like to Nations vivant sur réserve. Fax: 250 960 5644 acknowledge our reviewers for their Email: [email protected] generous contributions of time and Web: nccah.ca expertise to this manuscript. ISBN (Print): 978-1-77368-179-5 ISBN (Online): 978-1-77368-180-1 Outer Cover Photo © Credit: iStockPhoto.com, ID 157562026 Inner Cover Photo © Credit: iStockPhoto.com, ID 469652271 CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------------- 5 1.1 Demographics -------------------------------------------------------------------6 2.0 COMMUNITIES PLANNED THROUGH INDIGENOUS DESIGN AND KNOWLEDGE ---------------------------------- 7 3.0 BUILDING ENVIRONMENTS ON-RESERVES – Download publications at FAILURES IN DESIGN ------------------------------------------13 nccah.ca/34/Publication_Search 3.1 The built environment and housing on reserve ----------------------- 13 3.2 The built environment and water and sanitation on-reserve ------ 15 3.3 The built environment and challenges to accessing healthy foods on reserve --------------------------------------------------- 17 3.4 The built environment and challenges to active living on-reserve ----------------------------------------------------- 19 3.5 The built environment, transportation, and road safety on reserve ------------------------------------------------------- 20 Télécharger des publications à ccnsa.ca/524/Recherche_de_publication 4.0 ADVANCES AND SUCCESSES IN IMPROVING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENTS OF ON-RESERVE COMMUNITIES -------------------------------------------------23 issuu.com/nccah-ccnsa/stacks 4.1 Indigenous planning --------------------------------------------------------- 23 4.2 Addressing the housing crisis on-reserve ------------------------------- 24 4.3 Bringing home drinking water -------------------------------------------- 25 4.4 Countering Food Insecurity ------------------------------------------------ 26 4.5 Improving on-reserve infrastructure to promote physical activity --------------------------------------------------- 26 4.6 Improving road safety ------------------------------------------------------- 27 5.0 CONCLUDING REMARKS ------------------------------------29 REFERENCES ---------------------------------------------------------30 ...Indigenous peoples in Canada deliberately planned and designed their communities so as to thrive within their territories prior to colonization. © Credit: iStockPhoto.com, ID 636757806 1.0 INTRODUCTION Every aspect of urban life has environments lead to increased vulnerable and rural populations, been designed to accommodate physical activity while lowering rates neither mentions how the built human needs. Cities and towns of obesity, asthma and respiratory environment influences the health are composed of neighbourhoods, infections, injuries and unintentional and well-being of Indigenous 1 homes, schools, businesses, shopping fatalities, and heat exposure (CMA, peoples living in urban, rural, districts, parks, recreation centres, 2013, pp. 2-3). For example, access remote, northern or isolated and transportation networks. All to local supermarkets can provide communities.2 This paper aims to fill of these places and spaces make residents with greater choice and this gap by describing how the built up the built environment, or the options around food and nutrition environment influences the health “human-made or modified physical (Hanson & Stout, 2011), and people and well-being of First Nations surroundings in which people live, are more likely to walk to purchase reserve communities. Although work and play” (Cheadle & Tugwell, groceries and other items (Heart the built environment is large in 2014, p. 2). Simply put, the built and Stroke Foundation, n.d.). scope (including health, business, environment includes surroundings Communities with designated bike education, recycling, and garbage “for humans, by humans, and to be lanes promote active transportation disposal facilities and infrastructure, used for human activity” (Visual and commuting which help lower to name a few), this paper focuses Arts and the Built Environment, levels of obesity, chronic diseases, specifically on only five elements of n.d., para. 1). and certain types of cancers the built environment: (Winnipeg Regional Health There is mounting evidence Authority, 2013). The Canadian 1) housing; and recognition that the built Journal of Public Health’s [CJPH] 2) water and wastewater environment influences the safety, Special Supplement on the built management; health and well-being of individuals environment and health in Canada 3) food security; and communities (Canadian Journal shows how built environments of 4) active living; and of Public Health [CJPH], 2012; neighbourhoods and schools can 5) transportation. Canadian Medical Association be drivers of childhood obesity, [CMA], 2013; Centers for Disease particularly in urban settings. Each of these elements, if poorly Control and Prevention, 2010; This can have detrimental health funded, maintained or absent, has an Heart and Stroke Foundation, n.d.; implications across the life course. impact on human safety, health and Jackson, 2003; Lees, Redman, & well-being. Berland, 2010; Muhajarine, 2012; While publications such as those of Williams, 2013). Healthy built the CMA and the CJPH touch upon 1 For this paper, the terms ‘Indigenous’ and ‘Indigenous peoples’ will be used to represent all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples inclusively. ‘Aboriginal’ and ‘Aboriginal peoples’ are used when reflected in the literature under discussion. Wherever possible, culturally specific names are used. 2 We recognize that the built environment impacts Inuit and Métis communities as well; however, these impacts must be the focus of future papers. The built environment: Understanding how physical environments influence the health 5 and well-being of First Nations peoples living on-reserve The paper begins by introducing human modified space.” Search considered rural, remote, isolated how Indigenous peoples in terms were expanded to include or northern. Indigenous and Canada deliberately planned and “housing/homes/households”, Northern Affairs Canada includes designed their communities so as “infrastructure”, “water”, “waste four geographic zones in which First to thrive within their territories management”, “food/food security/ Nations communities are located: prior to colonization. It will then food insecurity/nutrition”, “physical turn to how colonization altered activity/inactivity/recreation/ ∙ Urban (Zone 1): within 50 km Indigenous peoples’ home and obesity”, “transportation/roads/ of the nearest service centre community environments. As will winter roads”/ “Indigenous with a year-round road access be shown, present-day First Nations architecture”/ “design”/ “planning.” ∙ Rural (Zone 2): between 50-350 communities across Canada are Additional literature was identified km from the nearest service rooted in colonial policies and from the bibliographies of relevant centre with a year-round road processes, and the imposition of publications. The search included access western built environments has peer and non-peer reviewed ∙ Remote (Zone 3): over 350 km contributed to many of the ongoing publications spanning from 1995 from the nearest service centre social and health inequities they to 2016. Publications were deemed with year-round road access currently experience. The paper relevant if they focused on First ∙ Special Access (Zone 4): no concludes with some possible Nations on-reserve communities year-round road access to a opportunities for action to counter and the impact of some element of service centre (Leclair, 2016). the present situations faced by many the built environment on health and communities. well-being. In a few cases, other Close to one fifth, or 17.3%, of relevant literature and examples First Nations communities are Publications included in this paper from Indigenous perspectives