Part 2: Heart Health Among Indigenous Populations in Canada

it remains the leading cause of death in Canada and around the world. Despite a reduction in CVD attributed to alterations in lifestyle, behaviour (diet, exercise and smoking cessation), Indigenous people continue to experience a rapidly growing burden of CVD morbidity and mortality (Reading, 2015).

…have a significantly higher likelihood of developing heart disease and stroke. Further, that overall, their heart and brain health is far worse than the general Canadian population.

…that heart failure rates are higher among Indigenous people in Canada compared to the non-Indigenous population, and Indigenous people are more likely to die of heart failure (Reading, 2015)

…particularly for women and younger age groups. For example, heart disease rates for Indigenous people are as much as 50% higher than in the general Canadian population, and the death rate from stroke is twice as high.

…the age-standardized cardiovascular disease mortality is 30% higher for First Nations men and 76% higher for First Nations women (Annand et al., 2019).

…to the loss of Indigenous identity and family, and collective trauma experienced from residential schools inflicted by colonization (Vallesi et al., 2018 in Gomes et al., 2023).

…For example, the lifetime risk and prevalence of diabetes is higher in Indigenous people compared to the general population of Canada — particularly for women. Indigenous women in Canada are more likely to experience diabetes during pregnancy than their non-Indigenous peers.