Innovative approaches in public health research: applying life course epidemiology to aboriginal health research.
A life course epidemiology approach embraces the complexity of disease risk and acknowledges the long-term effects of physical, social, psychological, and behaviour pathways, operating across an individual's life, a community's generation, and a population's development, on health and well-being. Researchers who adopt a life course epidemiology approach broaden their ability to understand, explain, and prescribe ways to mitigate the effects of chronic diseases and reduce risk factor development and interaction. Although there are many diseases that explicate the importance and usefulness of a life course approach for Aboriginal health research, this commentary focuses on the benefits for understanding chronic respiratory diseases in Aboriginal populations. The hope is that this will expose the benefits of a life course approach for the study of Aboriginal health research and draw attention to the need for well-rounded, high-quality Aboriginal respiratory health research.
Estey
Elizabeth A
EA
Aboriginal Health Research Group, Faculty of Human and Social Development, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada. lestey@uvic.ca
Kmetic
Andrew M
AM
Reading
Jeff
J
D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003479:Curriculum; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D044382:Population Groups; D011634:Public Health; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors