AP/Contra Costa Times Looks at Prevalence of Diabetes Among American Indians

The AP/Contra Costa Times on Nov. 24 examined the disproportionate incidence of diabetes among American Indians, whose diabetes rate is nearly three times that of whites. Nearly 9% of American Indians and Alaska Natives ages 20 and older have diabetes, and as diabetes rates rise, the age at which American Indians contract the disease falls. In 1965, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases began an "intensive" study of diabetes among the Pima Indians, who "represent the extreme of an epidemic sweeping the country's Indian communities." Diabetes was rare among American Indians until after World War II, but in 1954, 254 cases were documented among Pimas; by 1965, 500 people were diagnosed. Today, in the Gila River Indian Community, a reservation located south of Phoeniz, Ariz., that is home to 12,000 Pimas, 50% of the adult population and 5% of the children ages 15 to 18 have diabetes -- one of the highest diabetes rates in the world. The research that began in 1965 eventually "helped answer the question of why the Pimas and other Indians develop diabetes at higher rates." One theory is that Indians have developed a "genetic predisposition" to the disease following long periods of famine, during which their bodies were conditioned to store fat. In addition, studies found that changes in the diet and nutrition of American Indians following World War II also contributed to the increased risk of diabetes.

Addressing the Problem
Although diabetes has been studied "for decades," only recently have efforts targeted prevention rather than "treating the sick and burying the dead." To address diabetes treatment and prevention issues prevalent in Indian nations, Congress has earmarked $100 million per year from 2001 through 2003 to the federal Indian Health Service agency to establish a grant program. The AP/Times reports that other federal agencies have made grants as well, including the CDC and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Indian communities also have begun to take their own preventive steps. Because studies have shown that exercise and weight loss can "dramatically reduce" the chance of developing diabetes, some communities have included "traditional foods" in their diets, "launched talking circles that combine prayer" with discussions on diet and exercise and created walking groups and workout programs. However, Brenda Broussard, coordinator of Awakening the Spirit, an American Diabetes Association treatment and prevention program aimed at Indian nations, said that some Indians have "become fatalistic, simply accepting the idea that one day they'll be diabetic." She added, "You can live long, live well, feel great and still have diabetes. It's not a death sentence" (Arrillaga, AP/Contra Costa Times, 11/24).