Lack of Métis-specific data and research a challenge in Canada

December 2011 - The number of people who self-identify as Métis increased in Canada by 91 per cent in the decade up to 2006, yet little is known about the health-status or health needs of this growing population group.

In fact, most provincial administrative databases in Canada lack ethnic identifiers - and that means there is no information on such basic indicators as the infant mortality rate for Métis people.

That's just one of the barriers to health information outlined in a new NCCAH fact sheet that explores underlying factors behind the lack of Métis-specific data.

Unlike status First Nations and Inuit peoples, Métis do not have access to federal health services and benefits. Instead, they must use provincial health care services, meaning that data collected for population groups such as on-reserve First Nations or Inuit is lacking for Métis.

Author Catherine Graham, of the Métis Centre of the National Aboriginal Health Organization, also notes a critical lack of academic research. In a 30-year period from 1980 to 2009, about 80 peer-reviewed articles were published related to Metis health; of these, only 12 per cent were Métis-specific.

Challenges include jurisdictional issues, under-enumeration of Métis in provincial Métis registries, the need for better data linkages between varies databases and more targeted research funding. Addressing these issues also means addressing systemic factors - such as Métis identity issues and the need for representation of Métis in decision-making bodies.

Shedding light on nutrition for Metis infants, children and youth

Two additional new NCCAH fact sheets build on findings of the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) to examine the nutritional habits of Métis children, youth and infants.

Existing evidence indicates food insecurity can be a problem when Métis children are twice as likely to live in poverty than non-Aboriginal children. This is due in part to the fact that nearly one third of Métis chldren aged 14 and under lived with a lone parent.

"The high number of single parents may be an important factor in the health and nutrition of Métis children," author Catherine Graham suggests.

Both reports urge increased efforts to reach Métis populations in Canada to ensure the best possible health outcomes for children, youth and infants.