SPH researcher helps maternal-child health program serving Indigenous families identify success factors – News USask
Sep 28, 2021
A PhD project in the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) School of Public Health (SPH) has identified ways the already-strong KidsFirst North program in northern Saskatchewan can have an even greater impact on the health of Indigenous children.
The research study, titled Promoting Success in Maternal-Child Programs Serving Indigenous Families, was led by Dr. Charlene Thompson (PhD) as part of her recently defended PhD thesis. Through focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews, program families, staff, and administrators said factors key to the program’s success are its staff; its home visiting program, community events, and group programming; and the way it integrates culture into activities. The study showed that to be even more successful, jurisdictional policies negatively affecting program workers and challenges within the local community need to be addressed, and fathers need to be more included in program activities.
