Focused
on Native American Health and Wellness:
Reservation-Based Diabetes and Obesity Prevention
By
Elizabeth Cohn
Director of the Adelphi University Center for Health Innovation; primary investigator for the project
Native
Americans develop diabetes at a rate of 33%--three times greater than Whites
and twice that of African Americans. People of all races living with diabetes
experience are two to four times greater risk of developing stroke,
hypertension, kidney disease, dental and periodontal disease, and blindness.
Recently, the members of the Unkechaug Nation have become increasingly
concerned about the exponentially rising rate of diabetes on their reservation,
as the numbers reflect the national trends. But a window of opportunity exists when
lifestyle modifications can stop or significantly delay the progression of
disease from pre-diabetes to diabetes type 2. These changes in diet and
exercise are best initiated at the community–level, tailored so that they meet
the needs of those who are using them.
To
understand how to modify an existing set of evidence-based recommendations from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a three-way collaboration has
been developed between the Unkechaug Nation, Adelphi University Center for
Health Innovation and Winthrop-University Hospital Diabetes and Obesity Institute.
The Unkechaug Nation’s Initiative to End Diabetes
(UNITED) collaborative proposes to:
(1)
outline a set of partnership steps for a community-based effort focused on
education and lifestyle modification
(2)
explore and design infrastructure for community-engaged research on the
reservation
(3)
develop a governance structure that would support applications for future
funding opportunities
(4)
formulate metrics for a measurable outreach plan
(5)
develop a guide for other reservations who wish to adapt pre-diabetes and
diabetes prevention programs.
Co-investigator
of the project is Harry B. Wallace, the chief of the Unkechaug Nation. Virginia
Peragallo-Dittko, executive director of the Diabetes and Obesity
Institute at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola to serve as a consultant.
