Health Promotion Among Diverse Population

IHS is a very complex organization that serves the American Indian and Alaskan Native population. Effective health services for American Indians and Alaskan Natives had to integrate the philosophies of the tribes with those of the medical community. Because not all tribes signed treaties with the United States some people with Indian heritage were not eligible to participate with the federal government programs. Eligible people with Indian heritage were provided various services throughout the IHS programs; however, some IHS locations did not have the necessary equipment or facilities to provide comprehensive services.

Since the arrival of Columbus in 1492, American Indians have been in a continuous struggle with diseases. It may not be small pox anymore, but illnesses are still haunting the native population. According to statistics, Native Americans have much higher rates of disease than the overall population. This includes a higher death rate from alcoholism, tuberculosis, and diabetes than any other racial or ethnic group. Recent studies by Indian health experts show that diabetes among Indian youth ages 15-19 has increased 54% since 1996 and 40% of Indian children are overweight. Even though diabetes rates vary considerably among the Native American population, deaths caused from diabetes are 230 percent greater

Diabetes is a growing health concern within Aboriginal communities across Canada, it is a health concern that is often an underlying condition secondary to many other health issues and often goes undiagnosed or untreated. Many individuals within these communities choose to leave their diabetes untreated until it becomes life threatening and becomes too late to treat or control. According to Health Canada (2013), Aboriginal peoples who are living on reserves have a rate of diabetes that is three to five times higher as compared to Non-Aboriginal Canadians (Para. 1). The growing rate of diabetes is especially concerning amongst the Inuit communities, and is a growing concern; the rate of diabetes within this community is expected to steadily increase over the coming years from contributing factors such as lack of activity, poor nutrition and obesity (Health Canada, 2013). For these reasons alone it is important to raise awareness and educate these communities about diabetes and healthy lifestyle so that positive steps can be taken in order to maintain healthy living. Aboriginal peoples living in Canada have higher rates of diabetes as compared to non Aboriginal Canadians, and of the two types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2, the latter is more prevalent in First Nations communities (Brooks, Darroch, & Giles, 2013). With diabetes uncontrolled, an individual can come across many health problems such as poor circulation, foot ulcers, and sometimes even amputation (American

The Cherokee nation of Oklahoma is one of the many native Indian tribes that place a great emphasis on health care. There are noticeable efforts in improving the health system in the Cherokee nation as well as the health of its individuals. For a long time, the Cherokee nation has engaged in successful health care experiences such as building health centers, launching health programs or even individually engaging in the health field to improve the overall healthcare in the nation.

Carson, B., Dunbar, T., Chenhall, R. D., & Bailie, R. (2007). Social determinants of Indigenous health. Allen & Unwin.

Though American Indians are enjoying an independent public health system with above $3 billion funds provided by Congress annually for delivering healthcare services to them, still figure and facts on health status of American Indians reveal that they are facing many difficulties and have to suffer from diverse type of illness and disease at a misappropriate level. Since long it was identified by medical communities that there are wide spread diseases diabetes, alcoholism, tuberculosis, suicide, unintentional injuries, and other health conditions among American Indian and they are dying of these diseases at shocking rates (American Heart Association [AHA], 2010). Through this essay I want to discuss the healthcare status of American Indians in the perspective of their culture as how it impacted and lead to develop mistrust between amongst the medical community and American Indians.

WIC partners with Indian Tribal Organizations (ITOs) to provide nutritional services to approximately 63,000 Native American participants. Similar to the general population of the U.S., almost half of Native American women are enrolled in the WIC program (USDA, 2015; Evans, Labbok, & Abrahams, 2011). Native Americans living on reservations are at higher risk of food insecurity and adverse health conditions such as diabetes and obesity than the general U.S population due to economic barriers,

Due to various socio-cultural factors that impede First Nations/Native Americans’ usage of mental health programs and services, their particular needs and characteristics will influence the way assessments, goal setting, and interventions will be utilized when working with a First Nations client. For example, Grayshield, et al., (2015), discuss the historical trauma that Native Americans/First Nations populations have experienced here in the United States. This includes prohibiting Native Americans/First Nation individuals from speaking their language and practicing their spiritual and cultural traditions. Historical trauma also includes the impact of Native Americans/First Nations children being sent to boarding schools and away from their families and cultural traditions. By forcing Native Americans/First Nations communities to assimilate, this caused trauma their mental health and that can also be seen in present time.

Healthcare is an ever changing entity with an ever changing population of clients. In current day 2016, the United Sates has become a melting pot of many different cultural backgrounds, which has led to changes within the system to accommodate the patient base. Unfortunately, not all changes have been able to effectively reach any and all persons from every background. We still see language and cultural barriers that have direct correlation to the inability to seek healthcare and or the ability to change cultural perspectives to ensure healthy lifestyles. Within this paper, the health of American Indian and Alaskan Native populations will be discussed along with the barriers to care and the

Finally, Indigenous communities play a significant role in health promotion and adapting health services to the needs of their community. (Health Canada,

Alaskan Tribal Members are a prime example of just how difficult it is to provide accessible healthcare to Native Americans. In a study about improving the oral health of Alaskan Natives, published on PubMed Central of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, it was stated that “Disregarding the 3 largest population centers in Alaska [Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau], the state has a population density of about 0.5 people per square mile,

For the American Indians and Alaska Natives it is important, because of social-geographic and financial isolation from the main land. There is still high rate of tuberculosis, diabetics and glaucoma patient in this group. Another problem is high rate of infant mortality and suicide among adult population of American Indians and Alaska Natives. To prevent infant mortality would be good to establish connection with travel nurses, who will be come to reservations annually and provide lectures and video to this

As stated in an article by the UN addressing health implications for indigenous people it is stated that: “Indigenous peoples’ lack of access to health services for indigenous peoples is a widespread problem in America for many reasons, which include geographical barriers, discrimination, stigma, lack of social and cultural adaptation to indigenous health needs, and a lack of integration of traditional medicine” (2014). Indigenous Peoples’ have many barriers they must overcome first before being able to access the health care amenities, even then they are not guaranteed to have access to these services. Where are we look on the other side of the spectrum which includes Non-Indigenous Peoples’ access to health care is done in a very different way. “Across the country, diabetes is having a devastating impact on Indigenous communities with rates of diabetes three times higher among Indigenous people than among non-Indigenous people”(Aspin, Clive; Brown, Ngiare, Jersey, Tanisha, Yen, Lauran, ).Leeder, Stephen 2). Non-Indigenous Peoples’ have notably better health than Indigenous Peoples’. As stated above the rates for health implications are much higher for the Indigenous peoples’ than it is for the Non-Indigenous peoples. This shows that there must be a gap between how the health services treat Indigenous

Due to American Indians and Alaska Natives small population the affects of HIV are not at all times obvious (CDC). According to the CDC, these two groups have the highest percentage of diagnosed HIV infections because of injection drug use. The challenges that they face regarding HIV prevention, includes poverty, high rates of STIs, and stigma.

After examining the literature review within Oster et al. (2014), both strengths and weaknesses were observed. Quantitative research was used to explain the inherent difference in health status among First Nations and non-First Nations populations. A measured decrease in the age of diabetes diagnosis and higher fertility rates among First Nations individuals (Oster et al., 2014) alluded to the urgency of exploring effective care options for pregnant Aboriginal women with diabetes in order to mitigate the growing “epidemic” (p. 1469). The qualitative studies used were also significant as they identified a disconnect between traditional and Western views to be explored and bridged in attempt to deliver effective Type two diabetes health care to First Nations people (Oster et al, 2014). Referencing quantitative and qualitative studies to demonstrate the importance of identifying culturally appropriate Type two diabetes care for First Nations women who are pregnant could be seen as a major strength of the