Citation

Giles AR, Brooks Cleator L, McGuire-Adams T, Darroch F. Aborig. Policy Stud. 2014; 3(1-2): 198-213.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, University of Alberta)

DOI

10.5663/aps.v3i1-2.21706

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Within Canada, Aboriginal peoples drown at much higher rates than non-Aboriginal peoples (Health Canada, 2001). Drowning is commonly understood as a problem that has its roots in individuals' failure to learn to swim, a failure of adults to supervise children properly, or a failure to engage with safety practices (such as wearing a lifejacket or boating only when sober). This understanding of aquatic-related injury reflects the neo- liberal tendency to assign individual blame for poor health, rather than viewing health as being produced within particular socio-historico-politico environments. In this paper we use Bacchi's (2007) "What's the problem" approach to policy analysis to argue that it is misguided to understand high rates of drowning in Aboriginal communities as being caused primarily by the aforementioned factors, as they fail to account for the ways in which social determinants influence Aboriginal peoples' health.

Language: en