Community-Engaged Research to Address Health Disparities of Indigenous Women With Disabilities.

Abstract

Introduction: To address health disparities among underserved populations, occupational therapists can participate in community-engaged research and practice to improve access to preventive health services.

Methods: This study used grounded theory and participant observation approaches to identify lessons learned from a community-engaged research project to improve cancer screening rates for Indigenous women with an intellectual and/or developmental disability (IDD). Audio recordings of meetings with a community advisory board (AB) were analyzed with an inductive coding approach, and results were member checked with AB members. The AB members (N = 8) were involved in statewide Indigenous health, cancer, and disability activities. Six of the eight AB members identified as Indigenous.

Results: Key themes highlighted within the Indigenous research framework included reflection, relationship building, project planning, and project execution. Results of this phase of the research project highlight the importance of codesigning research projects with Indigenous communities.

Conclusion: The findings have limited transferability to other research contexts. However, this study highlights the need for future research on best practices for occupational therapists to participate in community-engaged research projects to address health disparities in underserved populations, such as Indigenous women with IDD.