Qualitative Health Research Involving Indigenous Peoples: Culturally Appropriate Data Collection Methods

Historically, health research involving Indigenous peoples has been fraught with problems, including researchers not addressing Indigenous research priorities and then subsequently often failing to utilize culturally appropriate methods (Schnarch, 2004). Given this historical precedence, some Indigenous populations may be reluctant to participate in research projects (Assembly of First Nations, 2009). Internationally, to address these important cultural, ethical and methodological issues, several countries have recognized the imperative of having guidelines for the safe and ethical conduct of research with Indigenous peoples. For example, Australia's Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research (National Health & Medical Research Council, 2003), and New Zealand's Guidelines for Researches on Health Research Involving Maori (Health Research Council of New Zealand, 2010). Canada's Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS2): Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples of Canada (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, & Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 2014), similarly provides contextually relevant guidelines for research involving Canadian Indigenous peoples. In this guideline, requirements for research collaborations with the Indigenous community, including the use of culturally appropriate data collection methods are described.Qualitative methodology is increasingly used by applied health researchers to give voice to vulnerable populations (Miller, 2010) using interviews and focus groups to collect data; however, these methods may not be the most culturally appropriate methods for use with Indigenous people (Smith, 1999). Studies have attempted to use culturally appropriate data collection methods with Indigenous populations, however, to the author's knowledge, no paper has provided a critique of the rigor and cultural appropriateness of these methods. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to describe, critique and synthesize the literature using data collection methods, other than interviews and focus groups, with Indigenous people in Canada. The literature was assessed for quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) qualitative checklist (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme, 2013) and for cultural appropriateness using the standards outlined in the TCPS2 (Canadian Institutes of Health Research et al., 2014). The results of this review will act as an important resource for researchers to facilitate the selection of culturally appropriate methods for use in research, and to enable respectful and collaborative research partnerships with Indigenous people in Canada.Literature ReviewIndigenous peoples currently represent approximately 4.3 percent of the Canadian population, and include First Nations, Inuit and Metis (Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 2004; Statistics Canada, 2013). The term Indigenous is used in this paper only when the differentiation among groups cannot be made. The term Indigenous community refers to an Indigenous territory, organization or community with whom a researcher is conducting research, while recognizing that such a community is not always located in one geographical area (Canadian Institutes of Health Research et al., 2014; Evans et al., 2012).The colonization of North America by Europeans led to devastating effects for Indigenous people as a result of forced relocation, and an end to self- government, traditional lifestyles, cultures, and ceremonies (The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2012). The damaging effects of colonization continue today, as Indigenous Canadians have poorer health outcomes than non-Indigenous Canadians, including high rates of diabetes, arthritis, infectious diseases, suicide, and higher mortality rates (Reading & Wien, 2009; Reading & Halseth, 2013; Smylie, Fell, Ohlsson, & Joint Working Group on First Nations, Indian, Inuit, 2010). …