Indian Country needs an intervention. An intervention for an epidemic that is plaguing our communities: obesity.
Creating long-term health and “restoring the balance of mind, body, and spirit” in Indian Country has been the core mission of the Association of American Indian Physicians since its inception in 1971. For the past year, AAIP has been coordinating a Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) grant from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to help tribal entities develop new policies and systems to fight this health plight.
This new program, called Healthy, Active Native Communities (HANC), was created to help tribal communities and partners develop sustainable obesity prevention programs through improved nutrition and increased physical activity. Currently, HANC is assisting these 12 tribal community partners:
➢ Jemez Pueblo (NM)
➢ Cherokee Nation (OK)
➢ The Center for Cherokee Plants (NC)
➢ Organized Village of Kasaan (HI)
➢ Zuni Youth Enrichment Project (NM)
➢ Boys & Girls Club of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe (CO)
➢ White Earth Reservation Wellness Project (MN)
➢ Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians (MI)
➢ Jena Band of Choctaw Indians (LA)
➢ Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (WI)
➢ Yavapai-Apache Nation (AZ)
➢ Hoonah City Schools (AK)
According to the Center for Disease Control, obesity rates in America have tripled in the past 30 years; one in every three children in the United States is obese. Those numbers are even more astronomical for the AI/AN community, as our citizens are 1.6 times as likely to be obese than Non-Hispanic whites. In addition, a national study of 4-year-olds shows that tribal youth are twice as likely to be obese as their peers.
We must address these issues head-on and replicate successful programs in our communities by building environments conducive to physical activity, employ the personnel to teach improved nutrition to our families, increase access to nutritious food and develop crop production that is local, sustainable and healthy. There are changes we can make to prevent the chronic diseases and mortality rates associated with obesity.
In essence, we must evolve the environments where American Indian people live, learn, work, and play.
Keeping our tradition and customs intact is vital along with creating school and worksite wellness policies, starting youth athletic clubs and leagues, growing community gardens and providing family education tools.
Together, we can do both - protect our cultures AND address systemic, environmental, and policy changes that will improve and extend the lives of our treasured elders and youths.
What can we do? We can develop and offer healthier food choices for families at the local level. When fresh fruits and vegetables are grown locally and made available to tribal members, both farmers and families win. We can build physical activity into everyday life in a way that is fun and creative – jumping rope, dancing, and climbing trees. We can help our children overcome low self-esteem issues that are connected to obesity. We can work with our tribal leaders to generate policies that increase access and usage of healthy foods and promote physical activity.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has said, “As our nation’s health care system evolves, preventing disease will improve Americans’ quality of life.”
That applies to Indian Country and is true for Native people living in urban communities and on reservations.
An intervention is needed to stem the tide of this obesity epidemic. A little creativity, some hard work and a lot of education will be required to make these types of changes, but the health of our future generations depends on it. Let’s prove that we are up to the challenge!
