Exploring the health and well-being of children and youth in Winneway, Québec

Health inequalities of Indigenous children and youth in Canada are well documented. Recently, children and youths’ perspectives are being recognized as valuable. However, there is a paucity of literature that seek children and youth’s perspective regarding their health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to understand how children and youth in Winneway, QC view health and well-being and to identify their main health and well-being concerns. A focused ethnographic study with Indigenous decolonizing framework was used with data primarily collected through interviews of fifteen participants aged 6 to 17. Children and youth in Winneway view their health and well-being as multidimensional and view themselves as decision-makers in their health and well-being choices. Their main health and well-being concerns include poor eating choices, difficulty expressing emotional and mental concerns, how children and youth treat others, and youth participation in unhealthy behaviours. These findings reveal the valuable perspectives that Indigenous children and youth can have regarding their health and well-being. They also suggest that future health and well-being interventions targeting Indigenous children and youth seek out and respect the knowledge and perspectives that children and youth have of their health and well-being.