This pilot resources page is in progress with only open access materials so far.
The interdisciplinary scholarship and deep wisdom connecting culturally and regionally relevant physical activity to wellbeing is vast and wide, across the world. A project goal is to amplify this scholarship.
We wish to showcase the tremendous existing evidence base on the importance of these topics. We hope this will help connect, support, and inspire more of this work and also support grassroots programs and policies for these practices.
This resources page is a work in progress to this goal, currently sharing a small sample of this work. You are able to search by Categories like: Activity Type, Region, Where Activity Is Practiced (Land, Water, Ice/Snow). New tags and categories will be added as we grow this resources page.
Archives for this research will be shared on the Open Science Framework (OSF), coming soon.
We welcome your feedback about how these resources could be most useful at PHResonance@gmail.com
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Traditional sports and games among the Sámi people in Northern Fennoscandia (Sápmi)
An ethnobiological perspective
Isak Lidström, Ingvar Svanberg, and Sabira Ståhlberg
Introduction: Modern sports equipment is nowadays manufactured industrially according to globally accepted and standardized models, but traditionally tools for play and games were prepared from materials found in the local environment. The objective of this article is to investigate various aspects of Sámi local knowledge about organisms used for their material culture of traditional sports and games in northern Fennoscandia (Sápmi). What functions did the surrounding biota have in the production of equipment used in sports and games?
Methods: A qualitative method was used; the ethnographic literature and travel narratives have been analyzed particularly for descriptions and notes on traditional games, toys, and sports.
Results: Before the turn of the twentieth century, bats, balls, and skis were seldom produced in factories, but by children and adults who utilized available materials from the surrounding environment. The manufacture of tools for play and games was characterized by a rich creativity in the use of various biological and natural resources. A wide range of such resources is presented in this article, among them the bracket fungus Fomitopsis betulina, used for making balls, reindeer antlers utilized for lassoing contests, and pine bark painted with reindeer blood, prepared for playing cards. We also highlight how tools usually associated with means of transport could switch functions and serve playful and competitive purposes, such as skis made of compression pine or walking sticks of birch: The former were used in skiing races, and the latter appeared in fencing competitions.
Conclusion: The industrialization of the material culture of sports has been contributed to a loss of local knowledge and familiarity with locally available organic stuffs for producing equipment for play and games. By reconnecting with previous knowledge of traditional games, we discover a potentially new direction for modern sports and games, shifting from globalization to environmentalization. Such an environmentalization could permit the local environmental context define the content, meaning and structure of sports, and simultaneously enrich both sports and outdoor life.
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 18
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Traditional Chinese Exercise for Chronic Diseases
Xue-Qiang Wang, Li Li, Liye Zou, Kevin W. Chen, Jiao Liu
Chronic diseases (or noncommunicable diseases) are generally defined as human health conditions that may not have a cure, develop slowly, and require long-term medical management. Major chronic diseases include cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancer, musculoskeletal disorders, degenerative diseases, and neurological disorders. Of note, these chronic diseases are increasingly recognized as the leading cause of death and disability worldwide and cause a substantial economic burden on healthcare and society…
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2022, 9842104
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“Wherever I Go, I Have It Inside of Me,” Indigenous Cultural Dance Narratives As Substance Abuse and HIV Prevention in Urban Danza Mexica Community
Angela R. Fernandez and Ramona E. Beltrán
Introduction: “Mexican American Indian” (MAI) is a large and diverse population for which little empirical research on alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and HIV is available, yet for which there is a disproportionate risk. Indigenous health narratives and participation in place- and settings-based cultural practices can be protective in chronic and co-occurring disease prevention and health promotion for Indigenous people. This study explores the role of participation in cultural dance in generating narratives of prevention and health promotion among a sample of MAIs from an Urban Danza Mexica Community (UDMC), framed within a decolonizing narratives of health (DNOH) model.
Methods: This secondary data analysis (n = 9) is drawn from a qualitative AOD and HIV health needs assessment of UDMC living in the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountain West (n = 21). This study uses a community-based participatory research approach and employs narrative, Indigenized methods to analyze in-depth interviews from adult cisgender females (n = 5) and males (n = 4). The DNOH model is developed as a relational, analytic framework that contextualizes Indigenous stories in relationship to three distinct yet interconnected levels—the personal, the communal, and Indigeneity in the larger world. These levels of narrative analysis function as culturally grounded, relational pathways through which to articulate health education and promotion approaches.
Results: Narratives delve into the complex and nuanced relationships within participants’ internal worlds (personal), between themselves and their Danza community (communal), and between themselves and their complex, intersectional Indigenous identities within society (Indigeneity). Stories of ancestral teachings about health and prevention shared within the Danza circle create spaces wherein participants navigate complex conversations that resist oppressive colonial narratives, reconnect with and strengthen their Indigenous identities, and strive toward ancestral visions of health and well-being.
Discussion: This study contributes to Indigenized theoretical and methodological expansion and the development of place/settings-based, narrative, cultural health interventions aimed at preventing chronic and co-occurring disease and promoting wellness among populations similar to the UDMC. Identifying cultural practices as Native Hubs (relational, socially constructed places) that foster decolonizing narratives helps increase understanding of their role in public health education and promotion through recognition of Indigenous knowledge systems and frameworks.
Frontiers in Public Health, 9
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Qualitative study on voyaging and health
Perspectives and insights from the medical officers during the Worldwide Voyage
Marjorie K Leimomi Mala Mau , Christina Mie Minami, Sarah A Stotz, Cheryl L Albright, Shawn Malia Kana’iaupuni, Heidi Kai Guth
Objective: To examine the potential association of ocean voyaging with human health and well-being from the perspectives and experiences of the medical officers (MOs) who served during the Worldwide Voyage (WWV).
Design: Using a phenomenology framework, focus group and individual interviews were conducted and analysed by three diverse core researchers and then reviewed by three external researchers to enhance triangulation. Analysis used the Framework Method and Atlas-ti software (V.8.4.4) to facilitate coding, identify categories and develop an analytical matrix. The matrix was applied to all data using the constant comparative method to construct major themes and subthemes. Synthesised member checking was performed.
Setting: In 2014–2017, the WWV began in Hawai’i on a traditional voyaging canoe, known as Hōkūle’a, using a non-instrument navigational method, ‘wayfinding’, powered only by natural forces and guided by traditional ecological knowledge. Each segment of the voyage included ~12 individuals, including an MO physician. The entire WWV included 172 ports-of-call, 36 legs and 250+ crew members.
Participants: We purposively sampled all MO physicians who participated in the WWV and enrolled 87% of eligible MOs (n=20 of 23). We conducted two focus groups (n=17=11+6, 85%) and three individual informant interviews (n=3, 15%).
Results: The four major themes: (1) Relationships; (2) Preventive Care to Enhance Health; (3) Holistic Health and Wellbeing beyond Voyaging and (4) Spiritual Transformative Experience, strongly suggest that ocean voyaging aboard a traditional voyaging canoe enhanced human health and well-being. The overall impact to perceived health and well-being extended beyond any increase in physical exercise. Essentially, traditional Polynesian ocean voyaging provided a cultural-based context for holistic health and well-being that influenced multiple levels and multiple dimensions.
Conclusion: Polynesian ocean voyaging was perceived as positively associated with holistic health and overall well-being and it may offer a new approach to confront complex health disparities.
BMJ Open, 11:e048767
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The Impact of Land-Based Physical Activity Interventions on Self-Reported Health and Well-Being of Indigenous Adults
A Systematic Review
Fatima Ahmed, Aleksandra M. Zuk, and Leonard J. S. Tsuji
For many Indigenous communities, decreased participation in traditional land-based activities has led to higher rates of chronic disease and a decrease in well-being. This systematic review explores how traditional land-based activities impact self-reported health and well-being of Indigenous adults, using Indigenous and Western perspectives. A search of three electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) identified nine studies which explored the experiences and perspectives of Indigenous adults taking part in land-based subsistence and ceremonial activities. A thematic analysis of these studies identified many interconnected physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, and community benefits. Community engagement throughout all stages of the interventions was an important factor in effectively addressing challenges and barriers stemming from colonization, decreased knowledge transfer, and increased use of technology. Participants reported developing more effective stress management techniques, a greater awareness of modifiable risk factors along with increased engagement with Elders. Ultimately, land-based subsistence and ceremonial activities were identified as playing an influential role in the lives of Indigenous adults. The involvement of community members allowed for the development of more culturally relevant interventions. Future community-specific research is needed to increase engagement in traditional physical-activities, improve well-being and overall reduce the risk of chronic disease.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), 7099
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Effects of an African Circle Dance Programme on Internally Displaced Persons with Depressive Symptoms
A Quasi-Experimental Study
Dauda Salihu, Eliza M. L. Wong, and Rick Y. C. Kwan
Background: Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are people who have been forced to flee their homes due to disasters. Depressive symptoms, at over 31–67%, are prevalent in IDPs in Africa. Despite the evidence for the benefits of the promotion of dance interventions on psychological health, supporting information is needed to outline the benefits of an African Circle Dance (ACD) intervention for IDPs in Africa.
Methods: A quasi-experimental design (pre-/post-test) was employed. Two IDP camps were randomized into the intervention group (psychoeducation and ACD intervention) and the control group (psychoeducation). Adults aged ≥18 years, living in an IDP camp, able to perform brisk walking, and who scored ≥10 on a depressive symptoms subscale were recruited. The intervention group received an 8-week ACD dance intervention and two 1-h psychoeducation sessions on stress management; the controls only received the psychoeducation sessions. Outcomes were depressive symptoms, stress, and anxiety. Data were collected at baseline (T0), immediately after the intervention at week 8 (T1), and at week 12 (T2) at the post-intervention and follow-up session. A generalized estimating equation was used to test the effects of the ACD intervention, with a 0.05 significance level.
Results: 198 IDPs completed the study (ncontrol = 98; nintervention = 100). The intervention group reported significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms (v = 0.33, p < 0.001) and stress (v = 0.15, 0.008) than did the control group.
Conclusions: ACD could be a valuable complementary intervention in health promotion but more research is needed.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(2), 843
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Harvest Programs in First Nations of Subarctic Canada
The Benefits Go Beyond Addressing Food Security and Environmental Sustainability Issues
Leonard J. S. Tsuji, Stephen R. J. Tsuji, Aleksandra M. Zuk, Roger Davey, and Eric N. Liberda
By breaking down barriers that impacted the ability of subarctic First Nations people to harvest waterfowl, the Sharing-the-Harvest program provided a safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food (i.e., geese) to James Bay Cree communities while also helping to protect the environment by harvesting overabundant geese. However, the impacts extend beyond those described above. Thus, the objectives of the present paper are twofold: to document the food sharing networks of the Sharing-the-Harvest program; and to examine the benefits associated with the harvest program beyond food security and environmental sustainability issues, as revealed through semi-directed interviews. In the regional initiative, harvested geese were shared with all James Bay communities; sharing is an important part of Cree culture. Where detailed information was collected, the goose-sharing network reached 76% of the homes in one of the communities. Likewise, in the local initiative, the goose-sharing network had a 76% coverage rate of the homes in the community. Although decreasing food insecurity was an important focus of the harvest-sharing programs, there were other benefits, from an Indigenous perspective, of being on the land, as identified by the Cree harvesters through semi-directed interviews (e.g., the transmission of Indigenous knowledge, the strengthening of social networks, and the feeling of wellness while out on-the-land). Thus, by participating in the on-the-land harvest programs, the Cree gained benefits beyond those solely related to strengthening food security and contributing in part to environmental sustainability. The Sharing-the-Harvest protocol has the potential to be adapted and employed by other Indigenous (or marginalized) groups worldwide, to help improve health and wellness, while, also protecting the environment from overabundant and/or invasive species.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 8113
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Engaging South Asian women with type 2 diabetes in a culturally relevant exercise intervention
A randomized controlled trial
Alamelu Natesan, Vani C Nimbal, Susan L Ivey, Elsie J Wang, Kristine A Madsen, and Latha P Palaniappan
Background: We examined the efficacy of a culturally relevant exercise program in improving glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) among South Asian women with type 2 diabetes, compared with usual care.
Methods: This was a randomized controlled 8-week pilot study of Bollywood dance among South Asian women with type 2 diabetes. The intervention consisted of 1 h Bollywood dance classes offered twice per week. The primary outcome was change in HbA1c. The effect of attendance on this outcome was also examined.
Results: The intervention group demonstrated a decrease in HbA1c from baseline (−0.18% (0.2%); p=0.018) compared with a non-significant increase in the usual care group (+0.03% (0.2%)); p value for difference between groups was 0.032. Participants attending at least 10 of 16 sessions had a statistically significant reduction in weight (−0.69 kg (0.76 kg)) compared with those attending fewer sessions (+0.86 kg (0.71 kg)).
Conclusions: These results support culturally relevant dance as a successful exercise intervention to promote HbA1c control, compared with usual care.
BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, 3:e000126
Public Health Resonance Project 