This paper proposes Relational Epidemiology, a theoretical orientation that shifts epidemiological inquiry from measuring children’s experiences to evaluating the relationships, systems, and collective responsibilities that shape childhood. The Childhood Wellness Framework operationalizes Relational Epidemiology by organizing childhood around collective responsibilities and the conditions necessary for children to flourish, rather than around individual experiences of adversity

Objectives: Indigenous epidemiology has emerged as a critical intervention to address health inequities and the exclusion of Indigenous Peoples from population health research. While advances in Indigenous data sovereignty and community-led surveillance have strengthened ethical accountability, less attention has been given to the epistemic conditions that shape how Indigenous knowledge systems are evaluated, constrained, and

Indigenous communities in Canada (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples) have distinct traditional knowledge and practices for pregnancy and birth, and these have sustained healthy and thriving Indigenous communities for millennia. Indigenous midwives historically held a leading role as primary providers of sexual and reproductive healthcare. However, colonial practices severely disrupted the role of Indigenous