Health and Development

First Nations-specific | Inuit-specific | Métis-specific

Resources on children's health and development across all developmental domains including physical, social/emotional, cognitive, spiritual and creative.

General:

A Sense of Belonging : Supporting Healthy Child Development in Aboriginal Families
Best Start Resource Centre, 2006 (in collaboration with Spirit Moon Consulting, Waabinong Head Start, Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres, Ontario Native Woman’s Association, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, Ontario Native Woman’s Association, Union of Ontario Indians, Métis Nation of Ontario and Nishnawbe-Aski Nation). This manual was developed to improve service delivery to Aboriginal families in Ontario. It shares important information about what Aboriginal people feel they need to support their families in having happy, healthy children.

Healthy Choices in Pregnancy- Healthy Choices in Pregnancy
Healthy Choices in Pregnancy is a component of a current government ActNow BC platform designed to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent illness among British Columbians.

It's a Child's Play
Suggestions of activities according to age group.

Aboriginal diabetes presentation 
Describes a diabetes awareness tool available to community health leaders in Aboriginal communities. Highlights the presentation contents which include a general overview of diabetes, how to prevent type 2 diabetes, and how to live well with diabetes. Includes ordering instructions.
Source: Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA)

Childhood diabetes in the aboriginal community 
Lists risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Suggests ways to promote healthy lifestyles to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes among children in Aboriginal communities.
Source: Southern Ontario Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (SOADI)

Come meet the challenge! Physical activity & nutrition initiatives in Aboriginal communities: resource guide 
Discusses traditional lifestyles of Inuit and First Nations people, and facts about physical activity and healthy eating in modern communities. Identifies barriers to physical activity and nutrition programs and gives advice on how to develop a program. Provides details of successful programs, resources by topic and contacts.
Source: National Indian and Inuit Community Health Representatives Organization (NIICHRO)

Gestational diabetes in the aboriginal community 
Lists the risk factors for gestational diabetes and the subsequent health risks to the mother and baby. Also discusses how to prevent and manage gestational diabetes through regular exercise, meal planning and controlled weight gain. Requires a PDF reader.
Source: Southern Ontario Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (SOADI)

NADA resources 
A brief listing of resources and contacts related to diabetes in the Aboriginal community.
Source: National Aboriginal Diabetes Association (NADA)

Aboriginal healthy babies/healthy children program  
Describes a program to improve child health which offers pre-and post-natal screening and assessment, home visiting, and service referrals. Provides community workers with tools they need to implement the program including activities, news & events, cultural teachings, resources, and projects.
Source: Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy

Recipes 
Provides healthy recipes using traditional Aboriginal foods. Source: Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA)

Healthy living activities for grades 4 to 6 
Provides Aboriginal-themed games that reinforce the importance of healthy eating and active living for school-aged children. Link requires PDF reader.
Source: National Aboriginal Diabetes Association (NADA).

Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide: First Nations, Inuit and Métis (2007)
This adaptation of the Canada Food Guide addresses growing health concerns such as childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes within Aboriginal communities. It incorporates traditional foods such as bannock, wild game and wild plants.
Source: Health Canada

Lungs Are For Life
A free school program for smoking prevention by The Lung Association. It is for all grades – from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Pregnets
To eliminate smoking in pregnant and postpartum women by increasing the capacity to quit and stay quit using a woman centred model of care.

Smoking & Pregnancy
The Sooner You Quit – The Better for Your Baby

Health Canada -Women who stop smoking before pregnancy or early in their pregnancy reduce their chances of having a low birth weight baby.

Taking Care - Information on Smoking for Child Care Providers
Smoke from cigarettes and other tobacco products can harm children.

Babies First Food
BC Health Care produced this fact sheet on introducing solid foods to babies.

Children & Healthy Eating
Health Canada has developed nutrition guidelines for children through key periods of growth, from infancy to adolescence. These resources will be especially useful for health professionals and educators who work with children.

Food Safety
Food safety is a concern shared by consumers, industry and governments. This section contains unbiased, research-based information on food safety.

Safety tips for the Prevention of Shaken Baby Injuries
Safe Start is the injury prevention program of B.C.'s Children's Hospital. Launched in 1992, the program provides community-based initiatives to prevent unintentional injuries among children from birth to five years of age.

Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project
Empowers community members to care for their personal and family health through continual improvement of our unique diabetes prevention model based on Kanien’keha values.

A Multicultural Perspective of Breastfeeding in Canada
Patterns in infant feeding are explored from a variety of cultural perspectives and other factors that may play a role in feeding decisions are examined.

Teachers Tobacco Facts
The resource, Heart Smart Kids K3 / bc.tobaccofacts K-3 forms the foundation of the bc.tobaccofacts program. It consists of three main parts: An Educator’s Guide providing classroom activities and resources around four main themes. Also, it contains the Heart Smart Kids K3 / bc.tobaccofacts K-3 Funbook includes a children’s story, puzzle, and a variety of poems, riddles and fun activities students can do in class or at home, and a big book storybook containing “The HeartSmart Puzzle".

Putting Health Promotion into Action: A Resource for Early Learning and Child Care Settings
Provides an introduction to health promotion and it's significance to this sector. In addition to a discussion about the determinants of health and the features and values of health promotion, a section on training and resources provides ideas for next steps. Programs across Ontario that are successfully implementing health promotion are highlighted.
Source: Best Start

Healthy Child Development
Source: First Nations and Inuit Health Branch - Titles include: How About... Child Development?; Nutrition Update - Food Security Parts 1 and 2; and Emerging Priorities for the Health of First Nations and Inuit Children and Youth.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
UNICEF's mission is to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.

Recommendations by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
Day of Discussion: Implementing Child Rights in Early Childhood

Healthy Spaces
The Canadian Institute of Child Health (CICH), in partnership with the Canadian Child Care Federation (CCCF), has created this website to increase awareness of children's exposure to potential contaminants in the areas where children grow, learn and play. You will find reliable, up-to-date information that allows you to make informed decisions about how to create safe and healthy spaces for young children.

Links
See also various health and development topics on the links page.