Tuesday, August 17, 2004

SPOTLIGHT: Aboriginal children

Healthy for the most part

The health of Aboriginal children who live away from reserves is slightly worse than that of their counterparts in the general population, according to a new report. However, this gap closes as the youngsters get older.

The report, which paints a portrait of Aboriginal children aged 14 and under, describes a group of people who are for the most part healthy.

They have more opportunities for Aboriginal education at the preschool level and they are active in extra-curricular activities. The report is based on results from the 2001 Aboriginal People Survey.

Small gap

The report showed only a small gap between the health of Aboriginal children living in non-reserve areas and all Canadian children at younger ages, as reported by their parents.

Parents of 83% of Aboriginal children aged 5 and under reported their children’s health as either very good or excellent. This compares with 90% of all Canadian children in this age group. The gap becomes narrower in older age groups.

The report also showed that Aboriginal children living in non-reserve areas were increasingly attending preschool programs specifically designed for them. In eight years, the proportion of these children going to such programs had increased almost four-fold.

Among children who were 14 at the time of the survey, 4% had attended preschool programs specifically designed for Aboriginal children. But among children who were six at the time of the survey, this proportion had increased to 16%.

Overall, just over half (53%) of Aboriginal children aged 6 to 14 living in non-reserve areas had attended preschool programs, including those specifically designed for them.

Time with Elders

Aboriginal children in non-reserve areas were active in extra-curricular activities. For example, 71% of children participated in sports at least once a week, while 34% spent time with Elders at least once a week.

Spending time with Elders has a powerful impact on Aboriginal youth, helping with their self-esteem and connecting them to their heritage.

In addition, about 31% participated in art and music and 30% in clubs or youth, drum and dance groups at least once a week, while 21% helped out without pay in the community or at school.

Children who frequently participated in these extra-curricular activities were more likely to do very well in school, as reported by their parents based on the knowledge about children's school work, including report cards.

A previous Statistics Canada study on Canadian children in general identified a similar correlation: children who participated in organized extra-curricular activities such as sports, arts, music and clubs were more likely to possess greater self-esteem, to enjoy better social interactions with their friends and to achieve relatively higher scholastic results.

The report “A portrait of Aboriginal children in non-reserve areas: Results from the 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey” is available free online.

For more information, contact John Zhao (613-951-2197), Housing, Family and Social Statistics Division.

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© 2004, Statistics Canada.