At the Kamulamun (heart) of Wellbeing

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been declining in Canada but Indigenous women are significantly disproportionately impacted, experiencing a 76% higher mortality rate from heart disease than non-Indigenous women. Dominant western society situates the biomedical model of health at its core of interventions and there is no research focused on the experience of Mi’kmaq women and their understanding of heart health and wellbeing. Interventions often do not reflect the specific social, political, historical and cultural dimensions necessary to have an impact, therefore understanding the cultural and gendered experiences of Mi’kmaq women is crucial.