mamawohkamatowin: working together to understand the house and COVID‑19 in a Saskatchewan First Nation Community
Aim: This project aims to increase health and well-being by considering how the house impacts COVID‑19 on Sturgeon Lake First Nation (SLFN). Research Questions: ((1) In what ways does the house impact COVID-19? (2) In what ways does the house impact the management of COVID-19? (3) Explore SLFN’s response to COVID‑19 isolation and vaccines. Methods: This research builds on a decade long health research relationship between SLFN and researchers. This team recently completed a co-created research process in which the findings revealed significant relationships between the house and respiratory health on SLFN. House factors were important to health outcomes. Having visible mold and a smell of mold in the house was correlated with both treatment and hospitalization for most respiratory health outcomes. Given that the house is important to respiratory health outcomes understanding the role of the house in COVID‑19 in SLFN is an important question of the community. Sturgeon Lake Health Centre has collated data on all CoVID-19 cases in their community including close contact tracing and transmission, and residence for each case. This project will assess if the same houses that are impacted by house factors in our respiratory health survey are more impacted by CoVID-19? These findings will be built on with qualitative methods to further understand how the house impacts isolation and vaccine. The findings will be returned to the community, in ways that are meaningful to the community. Discussions of the findings and strategies for ways and means forward will be co-created with the community, While the results will be beneficial to SLFN policy and processes, the knowledge gained will likely resonate with other First Nation communities so that they are able to co-create similar programs based on their strengths and response to COVID-19. Outcome: Understand and build a strong effective community response to COVID-19.
