ARTHRITIS SELF-MANAGEMENT IN NATIVE POPULATIONS OF BRITISH-COLUMBIA -AN APPLICATION OF HEALTH PROMOTION AND PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH PRINCIPLES IN CHRONIC DISEASE-CONTROL

Health promotion and participatory research present challenges and opp ortunities for extending the benefits of science to populations who ha ve not fully benefited from innovations available through self-care an d mutual aid. This paper illustrates some of the strengths, weaknesses , issues and problems in applying the approaches of health promotion a nd participatory research with First Nations populations for purposes of arthritis self-management. We suggest ways in which these experienc es apply to the elderly. Preliminary results from our First Nations Ar thritis Self-Management study illustrate participatory research and pr omising outcomes. The adaptability of these health promotion strategie s in the First Nations community can be generalized to the elderly in the general population based on their common experience with arthritis and the advantages of participatory planning with distinguishable dem ographic groups who share a common identity.