Physical activity participation among older adults is essential to supporting overall health and wellness, while promoting aging in place. Many Canadian older adults, particularly those who are Indigenous, are not meeting the recommended physical activity levels necessary for achieving health benefits. Physical literacy is identified as a gateway to physical activity participation; however, little is known about the potential impact of physical literacy in facilitating physical activity participation among Indigenous older adults. Further, Indigenous peoples living on-reserve (typically in rural areas) have limited access to culturally responsive health promoting resources within their communities.

What is our goal?

The primary goal of our study is to collaborate with Indigenous communities to inform the development of an Indigenous focused physical literacy model to increase physical activity and promote aging in place (in their home and community) among Indigenous Older Adults living on rural reserves in Saskatchewan.

We hope to:

1) Explore the challenges Indigenous older adults face in maintaining their physical activity, mobility and ultimately their independence (i.e., stay in their local reserve community)

2) Collaborate with Indigenous community members to transform and reconstruct a pre-existing physical literacy model for older adults, through the incorporation of Indigenous ways of knowing and traditional lifestyle practices.

Methods

An interdisciplinary, community-based approach will be employed to guide this research. Indigenous participants from three Saskatchewan First Nation reserve communities were invited to participate in the study. Both semi-structured one-on-one interviews and focus groups were used.

Our Objectives

Objective One: Involves identifying and understanding the experiences and challenges that on-reserve Indigenous community members in Saskatchewan face when attempting to preserve their physical activity, mobility, and independence; in turn enhancing their ability to age in place (in their home and community).

Objective Two: Involves the development of a culturally responsive physical literacy model (that includes traditional ways of knowing) for Indigenous older adults. An Indigenous artist will create a visual diagram depicting the initial iteration of a culturally representative physical literacy model. We will then share the initial iteration of the physical literacy model with community participants (e.g. Indigenous older adults, family members/caregivers and community members who care for and assist older adults) from each of our three collaborating reserve communities. Feedback and information gained will be incorporated to create a final iteration of the culturally responsive physical literacy model for Indigenous older adults.

Why are we doing this? What impact might this study have?

We hope to produce a physical literacy model that is culturally relevant for Indigenous older adults, particularly those living on reserve in rural areas. More broadly we hope to empower Indigenous older adults to feel confident in their abilities to engage in culturally specific daily physical activities and in turn age in place in their local reserve communities.

This project will also increase understanding of how traditional ways of knowing and living can be incorporated in programming and supports for rurally located Indigenous older adults living on reserve. Outputs of this study will inform the ongoing work aimed at empowering Indigenous communities to take control of their own health and well-being; and thus, improve the overall quality of life among Indigenous peoples in Canada.