Preventing Type 2 diabetes in Native Americans through nutrition

Abstract

Diabetes is a chronic condition that disproportionately affects the Native American population. A means of improving the outcomes was through an education program aimed at a younger target population. The purpose of this project was to determine if nutritional knowledge can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes in the Native American population. Changes in dietary habits can reduce the risks of Type 2 diabetes for high risk populations like Native Americans. Having knowledge of nutrition can assist people in making educated choices in deciding what foods to consume. Determining nutritional knowledge by implementing a test followed by a dietician led education session was measured against a posttest to determine if there were improvements in test results. A statistically significant change in test scores (p = 0.023) indicated that offering an educational course to high school students can offer an opportunity for them to become aware how nutritional choices can influence outcomes for Type 2 diabetes. Implementation of an education program promoting proper nutrition to the Native American community can increase nutritional knowledge and may reduce the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.