Indigenous Approaches to Health Promotion: Challenges for Education Support in South Africa

Abstract

This article explores whether and how an integrated approach to health promotion, which draws on indigenous and other worldviews and approaches, can be developed to address more effectively biopsychosocial challenges that constitute barriers to learning and development in education contexts. More specifically, the article aims to investigate whether and how indigenous perspectives to health promotion have been incorporated into support services in Native American contexts and what lessons can be learnt from this for the South African context. An analysis of relevant literature and interviews with 25 key informants in Native American contexts in the United States highlighted the following key challenges relating to incorporating different views of and approaches to health promotion in education in South Africa: facilitating ‘paradigm shifting’ or mindset change; addressing power dynamics relating to ongoing colonialism; developing culturally responsive education support services and life skills education curricula; and developing strong school–community partnerships. The article argues that these challenges could be successfully pursued within a South African health promoting schools framework that reflects the different perspectives of role players in this context.