Almost 25% of Native Americans over the age of 18 have chronic diabetes, making Native Americans the highest ethnic group with the disease.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Native Americans are almost three times more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes.
There are two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Both types have to do with the way the pancreas releases insulin.
The Wahzhazhe Health Center is dedicated to educating Native Americans about diabetes and what can be done to prevent the disease.
“Type 1 Diabetes is thought to be an autoimmune reaction where the body does not make insulin and requires a lifetime of insulin supplement,” Director of Nursing Marcy Barton said. “Type 2 is the most common type of Diabetes and is when the body doesn’t process insulin sufficiently and fails to keep blood sugar within defined limits, it is often exacerbated by diet and lifestyle choices.”
According to the American Indian Health and Diet Project, Type 2 diabetes among American Indians is the result of decreasing traditional foods of wild game, garden produce, and seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs, in favor of overindulging in sugary, starchy, and fatty foods and adopting a sedentary way of life.
The Native American community is at the highest risk for diabetes compared to other ethnic groups.
According to the Diabetes Journal, factors contributing to the high rates of diabetes in American Indians and Alaska Natives include genetic, environmental, and behavioral issues, which may include a genetic predisposition toward insulin resistance, exposure of fetuses to hyperglycemia during pregnancy, sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and the effects of living in environments that are stress-producing, from both a social and physical standpoint.
Native Americans ate more of a holistic diet pre-colonization, and the introduction of European foods may also have a factor in the diabetes rates.
Diabetes comes with additional health risks including cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, and eye damage, and also increases the likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease and depression.
Native Americans reported poorer health compared to other ethnic groups, with almost 6% of Native Americans being in poor health.
26.4% of Native Americans reported excellent health compared to 39.1% of Asians, which was the highest percentage out of the ethnicities reported.
While diabetes cannot be cured, the disease can be prevented. Eating healthier foods, exercising and losing excess weight can help prevent the development of diabetes.
In 1998, the Osage Nation started a diabetes prevention program through the Wahzhazhe Health Center. This program assists not just the Osage Nation, but all Native Americans needing help with diabetes care including insulin, glucose monitors and optometrist appointments.
“The Diabetes Program delivers high-standard education and prevention to Wahzhazhe Health Center patients by using, evidence-based and financially responsible, methods to provide various forms of diabetes-related education to achieve positive outcomes that improve the patient’s quality of life,” Barton said.
According to the Osage Nation diabetes prevention website, the program is solely funded by a Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) Grant that was first awarded to the Diabetes Program in 1998.
In addition to educating Native Americans to prevent diabetes and providing resources for Native Americans with diabetes, the Osage Nation has several other programs aimed at providing Osages with resources to access healthier foods and exercise. The Osage Nation has fitness centers in Fairfax, Hominy and Pawhuska that offer fitness classes and provide equipment for participants. The fitness centers also have personal trainers and specialized fitness classes are offered.
The Osage Nation owns and operates Harvest Land, a food production facility aimed to provide organic and healthier foods to the Osage people.
According to the Harvest Land website, during COVID-19, the tribe experienced a breakdown in food systems. The Osage Nation received a CARES Act fund which allowed us to build the infrastructure to increase food production capacity which created Harvest Land. Harvest Land contains a greenhouse, orchard and food processing area. Produce is grown year-round by the Osage people. Harvest Land not only provides organically grown food for Osage citizens, it also establishes food sovereignty.
Another food program the Osage Nation operates is Butcher House Meats, a meat processing facility located in Hominy. The goal is to process meat and provide it to citizens in Osage County. Butcher House Meats processes bison, deer, cattle and hogs. This program is helpful in tribal food sovereignty. It is also open to the public, so anyone can purchase meat.
There are not currently any cures for diabetes, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet along with exercise helps prevent problems later on. For someone who has diabetes or is pre-diabetic, Barton offered some information to help people curb the health risks.
“There are certain medications your provider may prescribe once diagnosed with diabetes,” she said. “These medications would vary from case to case. It is very important to keep your scheduled appointments with your provider, as well as the Diabetic Program, to help manage your Diabetes once diagnosed and to keep your Blood Sugar within defined limits. Not only finding adequate medication management but also lifestyle adjustment that is right for you is key to a healthy Diabetic type 1 and type 2 diagnosis management and treatment. If you have prediabetes, have your blood sugar checked at least once a year to make sure you haven’t developed type 2 diabetes.”
Why is it important for the Osage Nation to provide diabetes prevention programs and food sovereignty for its citizens?
“To educate, empower, offer resources and to reduce the amount of Diabetes across the lifespan, as well as provide quality Diabetic Care to all Native Americans,” Barton said.
