Traditions and Diabetes Prevention: A Healthy Path for Native Americans

My work in the area of diabetes prevention began in 2006, as an instructor and lifestyle coach for the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) Diabetes Prevention Program, with funding awarded to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Diabetes is serious. Diabetes is deadly. To see the devastating impact it can have on a population, sadly, one need look no further than to the first nation of people to inhabit North America. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Indian Health Service (IHS) show that in some American Indian and Alaska Native communities, diabetes prevalence among adults is as high as 60%.1 One in six American Indian and Alaska Native adults has diagnosed diabetes—more than double the prevalence rate for the general U.S. population.1 But it wasn't always this way. Consider this: Less than 100 years ago, diabetes was virtually unknown in native communities. It was not until after World War II that diabetes cases began to be reported by IHS providers. In fact, a century ago, all chronic diseases, including diabetes, were practically nonexistent in Indian country. As recently as 1955, diabetes was unrecognized as a leading cause of death as evidenced by its absence in a listing of the 10 most frequent causes of death for this population. However, by 2009, diabetes had jumped to number four on the list. American Indians and Alaska Natives now have the highest diabetes prevalence rates of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. More than 16% of the members of this population have been diagnosed, compared to 8.7% of non-Hispanic whites. The Pima Indians of Arizona have the highest rates of diabetes in the world, with more than 50% having a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Data from the 2003–2004 National Health Interview …