There is ample evidence of health disparities in the Native American population. One of the major health disparities in this population is Type 2 diabetes. The prevalence rate of Type 2 diabetes in Native Americans is several times higher than the general population. More alarmingly, type 2 diabetes, which was considered to be a disease for middle-aged adults, is increasingly present in Native American children and adolescents. It is therefore imperative that health promotion and disease prevention strategies to reduce diabetes be developed and validated in this population. This proposal is to establish an Oklahoma Native American EXPORT Center to reduce health disparities in Native Americans with an emphasis on diabetes prevention in children and adolescents. Our approach is to partner with Native American tribes, community-based programs and organizations, and programs at the University of Oklahoma. The proposed Oklahoma Native American EXPORT Center has five components: Administrative Core, Research Core, Community Outreach and Information Dissemination Component, Training Component, and Shared Resources Core. Two full projects and one pilot pROJECT are proposed in the Research Core. These projects focus on strategies for preventing diabetes and obesity from infancy to adolescents involving family, school and community organizations. Activities proposed in the Community Outreach and Information Dissemination Component include disseminating information on the epidemiology, intervention and prevention of diabetes and obesity to American Indian communities, promoting positive attitudes towards treatment and prevention of diabetes and obesity, encouraging and preparing communities to participate in scientific studies of health, and providing science education opportunities to Indian high school students. The Training component will provide opportunities to increase knowledge in Indian health and introduce health field career opportunities to Native American students, sponsor continuing education workshops/conferences on Indian health to health care providers, University of Oklahoma faculty and other health professionals, and recruit Native American students to the University of Oklahoma and its Health Sciences Center. Lastly, the Shared Resources Core will provide resources for study design and monitoring, data management and statistical analysis. It is believed that the proposed EXPORT Center will be effective in the efforts to reduce health disparities, particularly in childhood diabetes and obesity.
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