Diabetes In Native American Culture Essay

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Studies have shown there has been an increased prevalence of diabetes in the Native American culture. There has been a correlation with the rise of diabetes in American Indians and the Westernization of Native Americans. During Westernization, there was a gradual reduction in native foods. Because of this, Native Americans started incorporating foods that were high in fat and sugar, and low in whole grains and fiber. (Yracheta, Joseph M, MS; Lanaspa, Miguel A, PHD; Le, MyPhuong T, PHD; Abdelmalak, Manal F, MD; Alfonso, Javier, MD., Jun 2015, p. 815). By the 1930s, obesity and diabetes, were more common in the Pima than in other American Indian tribes. (Yracheta, Joseph M, MS; Lanaspa, Miguel A, PHD; Le, MyPhuong T, PHD; Abdelmalak, Manal F, MD; Alfonso, Javier, MD., Jun 2015, p. 816). There are many aspects as to why there has been a rise of diabetes of Native American culture. Genetics play a big role, but so do financial, social and environmental factors. In the early 1900s, only the wealthy could afford the high sugary …show more content…

I did this by placing my topic, Diabetes in the Native American culture, on top. From there, I branched off into subtopics of why diabetes is becoming more prevalent in the Native American culture. One such subtopic was Westernization where I branched off and placed diet under this category hitting on the topic of high sugared foods. Then I branched off to socioeconomic and financial subtopics. I saw firsthand the effects of poverty in a culture having lived on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation for over 20 years. Lack of support from family members can be an issue for some patients with diabetes. From there I branched off again to risk factors and genetic predispositions of diabetes in the Native American culture. My final branch I utilized was complications of diseases. As the studies showed, Native American are at greater risk of developing complications with

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