Cultural identity and child health

Developing a culturally relevant physical activity guide for Alaska Native Head Start students in rural Alaska: the Got Neqpiaq? Study

Background: Concern was voiced by Elders, teachers, and parents that and playtime activities of the Head Start preschool programme were not aligned with the local Alaska Native culture in their communities.Methods: The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium partnered with 12 Head Start preschool programmes, administered by Rural Alaska Community Action Program in rural Alaska, to explore with community members Alaska Native value-based solutions to the concerns they raised. Local input was gathered via focus groups, interviews, and surveys.Results: We worked together with communities to create a physical activity guide specific to preschool-age children in the region. The guide includes activity descriptions, lesson plans, flash cards, and photos of traditional Alaska Native physical activities and games specific to the region. This manuscript details the community engagement process foundational to the physical activity guide's adoption and implementation.Conclusions: The processes by which the guide was developed were strength-based and participatory. Widespread community engagement and participation led to a guide that was readily adopted because the community had taken ownership of the content. The lessons learned have been invaluable in developing long-term community-based partnerships and in setting the precedent to further incorporate local/regional culture into rural Alaska Head Start programmes.

Cultural issues in child maltreatment

AIMS

Waves of immigration from the latter half of the 20th century have changed the cultural and ethnic mix of major regions of the world. Dynamic multicultural societies now are a reality across the Western world. The relationship and influence of these diverse cultures to the understanding and identification of child abuse and neglect is challenging and complex. Health professionals working with children from culturally and linguistically diverse groups often find themselves with the challenge of exploring and resolving the tension between definitions of harm in child protection practice and various cultural and child-rearing practices. In this paper, we set out ways of thinking about the influence of culture when approaching and dealing with the suspicion of child maltreatment.

METHODS

We will explore how culture shapes the experiences of childhood, child-rearing practices, and identify common barriers in working with children and families from culturally diverse backgrounds when presenting with child maltreatment. We will use case examples from Europe and Australia to illustrate the real life challenges of working in the area of child maltreatment across cultures. We will review the scientific literature exploring the nexus between culture and child maltreatment, identifying the gaps in the literature and highlight areas for future research.

RESULTS

We suggest a model for dealing with cultural issues in child maltreatment that is culturally competent and respectful.

CONCLUSIONS

The model for cultural competency in child health and child protective services incorporates four domains for advocacy and action - individual, professional, organisational and systemic.