Native Americans Stand Against Diabetes: One often overlooked segment of the American population that lives with diabetes is the American Indian. According to Marketwire, “At nearly 17 percent, American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes among all U.S. racial and ethnic groups.”
Nearly 1,500 representatives of American Indian tribes recently gathered in Denver, CO for the Indian Health Summit. Dr. David Marrero was a speaker at the event and had concerns that face the Indian nation. Marrero told TheDenverChannel.com, “Obviously this is the most at-risk population in the world so anything that can be done to explore better care delivery and better avenues of prevention is critical.”
Harold Holman, Board Member of the American Diabetes Association of Western Oklahoma recently told BartlesvilleLive, “Native Americans face an alarming rate of diabetes. We need the voices from the community to feel empowered and encouraged to develop diabetes education programs based on their needs.”
Indian Health Service (IHS) director Yvette Roubideax agrees. “Diabetes is a huge challenge for this population. But it is a growing problem in the United States. We’re fighting an uphill battle, but we have to fight in the entire country.”
IHS received more than three and a half billion dollars in aid this year, but this amount is about half of what they need to assist nearly 2 million Native American and Alaskan Natives. The recent gathering in Denver allowed conferees to share ideas and unique resources.
The HIS website confirmed that President Obama has proposed an increase of about a half billion dollars for funding in 2010, “This proposed budget is directed at supporting and improving the provision of health care services, improving health outcomes, promoting healthy communities, addressing health disparities, and strengthening the Indian health system with additional resources for health care services.”
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Diabetes Education Program offers these suggestions for Native Americans to assist in reducing the high percentage of diabetic cases in their tribes.
- Set goals you can meet and start by making small changes.
- Aim to lose at least 5 to 7 percent of your current weight – that’s 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person.
- For support, team up with friends and family to help you lower your risk for type 2 diabetes.
- Make healthy food choices every day.
- Make time to prepare and cook healthy foods.
- Cut down on food portion sizes.
- Choose water to drink instead of sweetened fruit drinks and soda.
- Increase your activity level by walking more often.
- Build physical activity into your day.
The American Diabetes Association created the Awakening the Spirit: Pathways to Diabetes Prevention & Control as a subcommittee of the to help share important messages about diabetes with Native Americans. The ADA site contends, “No one should have to fight diabetes alone.”
The ADA offers these three truisms for those Native Americans living with diabetes.
- People with diabetes can manage it
- People with diabetes can live full lives
- People with diabetes can be well enough to watch their grandchildren grow up
It is encouraging to many Native American leaders to see a cohesive effort to address the issue of diabetes. A comment on the ADA site may explain why this is problematic to this community, “Years ago, Native Americans did not have diabetes. Elders can recall times when people hunted and gathered food for simple meals. People walked a lot. Now, in some Native communities, one in two adults has diabetes.”
