The Pawnee Nation Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) will provide various types of community-based and culturally appropriate diabetes treatment and prevention services within the Pawnee Nation service area. With Physical Activity as our selected best practice, we will strive to be moccassins-on-the-ground when addressing diabetes prevention and/or care of diabetes diagnosis. Our target groups are youth (at-risk, pre-diabetic, non-diabetic), adults (at-risk, pre-diabetic, non-diabetic, or newly diagnosed), and diabetic clients in the Pawnee Nation service area.
Pawnee Nation SDPI will be a collaborative effort between various programs at the Pawnee Nation, including the Division of Health and Community Service, Education Division, Cultural Resources Division, Pawnee Indian Health Center, Pawnee Seed Prevention Society, Oklahoma Tribal Engagement Partners, and Eagle Adventure. Surrounding tribal diabetes programs are also potential collaborators. These vital partnerships will help evidence and practice-based approaches to strengthen our knowledge on Pawnee culture while promoting health, community, and social activities.
The importance of health outreach is to provide structured programs for the target population. By adding alternative ways to be physically active, Pawnee Nation SDPI hopes to: increase the quality, availability, and effectiveness of educational and physical fitness for the Pawnee community; promote health and reduce chronic disease by nutrition education and physical activity; and reduce illness, disability, and death related to diabetes.
The approach of health improvement shall include behavioral interventions focusing on reducing unhealthy lifestyle choices such as poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. Building health promotion initiatives is a key component towards disease prevention collaboration.
Lifestyle change will be facilitated through a combination of efforts to enhance awareness, change behaviors, and create environments that support good health practices. The ultimate outcome of the Pawnee Nation SDPI is to decrease chronic diseases, specifically diabetes, among the Pawnee community.