Native Americans living in urban areas make up approximately one-half of the U.S. Native American population. Minneapolis has the sixth largest urban Native American population in the U.S. Effective leadership in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Native American community has resulted in the creation of several schools for urban Native Americans. These schools provide an opportunity to design, implement, and evaluate diabetes prevention activities for urban Native American children during those years that health behaviors are established. The primary aim of this application is to assemble a collaborative team to design a feasibility study for the primary prevention of diabetes mellitus in urban American Indian youth. The goal of the study is to reduce risk factors associated with diabetes mellitus among urban American Indian students in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Risk factors targeted for reduction are obesity, high blood pressure, high fat and low fiber diet, and physical inactivity. Reduction in risk factors will be attempted through implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive behavior change program designed to improve eating habits and increase physical fitness among-American Indian-students. Grant funds will be used to conduct a one year research planning process to identify the most effective and appropriate approaches to use in accomplishing this goal. The Minnesota Department of Health, the lead agency has extensive experience in establishing and leading collaborative research in program development. The University of Minnesota, as part of the collaborative team, has extensive experience in research design, especially in health promotion in school age children. The Indian Health Board of Minneapolis, the first Indian Health Board in the U.S. and also part of the collaborative team, has extensive experience with urban Indians.
