Building a Narrative of Equity: Weaving Indigenous Approaches into Community-Engaged Research

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Equity
• Indigenous Studies

Background:

• Global social movements highlight health disparities and the need for justice.
• Critical theory and community-engaged approaches are essential for equitable health research.
• Indigenous scholars call for internal narratives of change in health research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate principles for effective health research and social justice work.
• To integrate critical Indigenous approaches into structural project designs.
• To investigate the lasting impacts of community-engaged research participation.

Main Methods:

• Community-engaged approaches were woven into structural project designs.
• Data on healthcare provider knowledge of American Indian health was collected and analyzed.
• A post-project self-assessment was developed to measure lasting impacts.

Main Results:

• Principles for defining and measuring the capacity to build together were discussed.
• The study provides a framework for planning and implementing justice and change.
• Lasting impacts of project participation were investigated through self-assessment.

Conclusions:

• Integrating Indigenous approaches enhances community-engaged health research.
• Measuring the capacity to build together is crucial for sustainable change.
• This work supports the development of internal narratives for health equity.