The Bad River Healthy Lifestyles Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) is undergoing a expansion in scope and assessment to combat documented risk indicators for diabetes among Bad River Tribal youth aged 0-18 years. Its programming is expanding in response to the input of youth participants and their families, the guidance of recommendations from the Diabetes Prevention Program Toolkit, new research linking diabetes and generational trauma, and new community partnerships. Research showing for Indigenous patients with type 2 diabetes, social factors arising from the legacy of colonization are often barriers to improved diabetes outcomes, while culture is often not recognized as a facilitator in diabetes management.1 The program is incorporating Best Practices to increase levels of physical activity, consumption of healthier foods, and integration of cultural activities to improve metrics of Bad River youth overweight and obesity, sedentary lifestyles and depression in its target audience. The Bad River Healthy Lifestyles SDPI is also committed to continual improvement through
• A new emphasis on training our trainers
• A more focused, articulated and cohesive framework for our physical education and nutrition education activities using school sports, open gym time, specialty coaching, workshops and clubs, and cultural activities that incorporate movement and enhance sense of identity and belonging
• Partnerships with certified, licensed health care providers and epidemiologists to create formative and summative assessment evaluation tools that help us collect baseline data, define progress indicators and analyze outcomes to drive programming effectiveness.
1Lynden (Lindsay) Crowshoe, Rita Henderson, Kristen Jacklin, Betty Calam, Leah Walker and Michael E. Green; “Addressing social barriers of Indigenous Patients with type 2 diabetes”; Canadian Family Physician January 2019, 65 (1) 25-33;