Behind the Pandemic in Aboriginal Communities - Interagency ...

Gender norms refer to the expectations societies have about how men/boys andwomen/girls should think, feel, and behave. Gender norms influence people’s sexualityand intimate relationships.Health inequalities are differences in health status experienced by individuals or groups.These difference can be the result of biological factors, personal practices, chance, ordifferences in access to the social determinants of health (PHAC, 2008).Health inequities are differences in health status experienced by individuals or groupsthat result from social factors such as poverty and access to education; these differencesare considered unfair or unjust.Heterosexism is the assumption that all people are heterosexuals. This contributes tothe social and economic exclusion experienced by two-spirited Aboriginal people.HIV is the acronym for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is the virus that causesAIDS.Homophobia is stigma and discrimination based on sexual orientation.Landscape frames are a way of looking at an issue so that the focus is on the relationshipbetween the individual and the broader social, cultural, economic and politicalenvironment.LGBTTQQI is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, two-spirited, queer,questioning, and intersex. It is an umbrella term used to describe people whose sexualand/or gender identity does not fit with mainstream expectations of heterosexualitybeing the normal or better.Men who have sex with men (MSM) describes a behaviour associated with HIVtransmission rather than how people self-identify. It includes men who identify as gayor bisexual, transgendered, and heterosexual. Discriminatory laws and homophobiacontribute to MSM pursuing heterosexual relationships.Population Health Approach was developed by Health Canada to improve the health ofthe entire population and to reduce health inequities among groups by looking at “rootcauses.” Unlike the biomedical approach which focuses on health at an individual level,the population health approach focuses on the health of a population and groups withinpopulation – with “health” being seen as a capacity or resource rather than a status.Portrait frames are a way of looking at an issue so that the focus is on individualbehaviours and risk.Resiliency means being able to recover or bounce back from stressful and challenginglife situations. Dealing with challenges can help people become stronger and betterprepared to face future challenges. A person’s resiliency is affected by factors andconditions at the individual, family, and community level.105