Indigenous Women’s Perspectives on Heart Health and Well-being: A Scoping Review

Indigenous women tend to have higher rates of cardiovascular disease and/or stroke (CVD/s) and are less likely to report their health as good or excellent, in comparison to indigenous men. Cultural values and lived experiences of indigenous women can inform the relationship between them and their healthcare provider and their approaches to self-management of CVD/s. Health research often neglects to consider the subjective and cultural nature of health and well-being. A scoping review was conducted to identify available literature regarding indigenous women’s perspectives on heart health. The research question for this scoping review was as follows: How do indigenous women who are at risk of and/or living with cardiovascular disease and stroke perceive their heart health and well-being? Database searches generated 4757 results, with an additional 37 articles identified from grey-literature depositories. A total of 378 articles were assigned a full-text review, of which 10 articles met the criteria for this analysis. The available literature provided evidence on how lifestyle, gender roles, relationships, mental and emotional health, health literature, culture, ceremony and healing, and experiences in the healthcare system impact the perspective that indigenous women have on heart health. Despite this population being at high risk for heart-related illnesses, indigenous women’s perspectives on cardiovascular health and well-being continue to be underrepresented in the literature, warranting the need for culturally appropriate health policies informed by their lived experiences.