American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) refer to cultural traditions and values to guide resilient and strength-based practices to address maternal and infant health disparities.
Methods: A case study of a culturally-based educational intervention on AIAN maternal and child health.
Results: Cultural teachings have successfully been applied in AIAN behavioral interventions using talking circles and cradleboards, but maternal and child health interventions are not well-represented in peer-reviewed literature. Zero publications included interventions centered around cradleboards and safe sleep.
Discussion: There is a need for rigorous published research on culturally based interventions and effectiveness on health outcomes for mothers and babies.
Conclusions: This paper discusses how a cradleboard educational intervention incorporates national guidelines to address maternal and infant health while mediating social determinants of health.
Keywords: Alaska Native; American Indian; cradleboard; cultural; indigenous; intervention; native American; perinatal; prenatal; resilience; talking circle; wellness.