Inuit Health Matters, an initiative developed by AboutKidsHealth.ca at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, addresses the challenges around pregnancy and birth in Nunavut—Canada’s northernmost territory—through its website “Pregnancy Stories: A Guide for Expecting Inuit Moms and Dads.”
BMC alumni Shelley Chen 1T0 and Monika Musial 0T8 produced the illustrations for the website, and Jennifer Polk 0T2 oversaw the development of illustrations and design elements. In addition to BMC alumni, the AboutKidsHealth.ca team included Applied Scientist Amanda Sheppard who researched and wrote the content, website graphic designer Genevieve Metropolis and print materials freelance graphic designer Jelena Reljic.
Through illustrations and culturally relevant narratives, “Pregnancy Stories” provides a prenatal guide in two streams—a weekly one for moms-to-be and a monthly one for dads-to-be—in English, French and Inuktitut.
Print copies of “Pregnancy Stories” are also distributed through Iqaluit Public Health clinics and by health professionals throughout Nunavut, said Chen.
Released in June 2012, informal responses have been positive and Inuit Health Matters will soon review feedback from the website.
The team at AboutKidsHealth.ca is currently developing a nutrition resource centre for their website to provide nutritional information to help moms and dads make informed food choices for their families.
by Maeve Doyle