Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

Tribe's contribution is a nutrition boost for American Indians

There’s a reason that one of the first buildings visitors see on Minnesota’s Leech Lake Indian reservation is a diabetes clinic. And that on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge reservation, one of the landmarks rising from the prairie is a large, modern kidney dialysis center.

When it comes to population health, the data points on American Indians are bleak. Their life expectancy is 4.2 years lower than the U.S. average, according to the federal Indian Health Service. Heart disease is a leading cause of death. They also are more likely to die of diseases such as Type 2 diabetes or complications from it.

These serious medical conditions have a common risk factor — obesity. Not surprisingly, Indians are also more likely to become obese than are other ethnic groups in the United States. With a 2014 Minnesota Department of Health report linking health concerns in Indians in part to the loss of traditional tribal foods, a population health initiative focusing on nutrition is sorely needed.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/297724731.html

 

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