RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Community-based screening and triage connecting First Nations children and youth to local supports: a cross-sectional study
JF CMAJ Open
JO CMAJ
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP E1148
OP E1154
DO 10.9778/cmajo.20220119
VO 11
IS 6
A1 Young, Nancy L.
A1 Anderson, Marnie M.
A1 Wabano, Mary Jo
A1 Trudeau, Trisha
A1 Jacko, Diane
A1 Mallick, Ranjeeta
A1 Momoli, Franco
A1 Thavorn, Kednapa
A1 Szatmari, Peter
A1 Usuba, Koyo
A1 McGregor, Lorrilee
A1 Restoule, Brenda
A1 Roy-Charland, Annie
A1 Barbic, Skye Pamela
A1 Cudmore, Alison
A1 Peltier, Shanna
A1 Mian, Oxana
A1 Mushquash, Christopher
A1 Linklater, Renee
A1 Hawthorne, Lauren
A1 Boydell, Katherine
A1 Mishibinijima, Debbie
A1 Kaboni, Linda
A1 Denommee, Jessica
A1 Neganegijig, Natalie
A1 Djeletovic, Katarina
A1 Wassengeso, Cody
A1 Recollet, Sylvia
A1 Roy, Melissa
YR 2023
UL http://www.cmajopen.ca/content/11/6/E1148.abstract
AB Background: First Nations children in Canada experience health inequities. We aimed to determine whether a self-report health app identified children’s needs for support earlier in their illness than would typically occur.Methods: Children (aged 8 to 18 yr) were recruited from a rural First Nation community. Children completed the Aaniish Naa Gegii: the Children’s Health and Well-being Measure (ACHWM) and then met with a local mental health worker who determined their risk status. ACHWM Emotional Quadrant Scores (EQS) were compared between 3 groups of children: healthy peers (HP) who were not at risk, those with newly identified needs (NIN) who were at risk and not previously identified, and a typical treatment (TT) group who were at risk and already receiving support.Results: We included 227 children (57.1% girls), and the mean age was 12.9 (standard deviation [SD] 2.9) years. The 134 children in the HP group had a mean EQS of 80.1 (SD 11.25), the 35 children in the NIN group had a mean EQS of 67.2 (SD 13.27) and the 58 children in the TT group had a mean EQS of 66.2 (SD 16.30). The HP group had significantly better EQS than the NIN and TT groups (p < 0.001). The EQS did not differ between the NIN and TT groups (p = 0.8).Interpretation: The ACHWM screening process identified needs for support among 35 children, and the associated triage process connected them to local services; the similarity of EQS in the NIN and TT groups highlights the value of community screening to optimize access to services. Future research will examine the impact of this process over the subsequent year in these groups.