American Indian health a daunting problem

April 13, 2004

American Indians in New Mexico experience alcoholism, tuberculosis and diabetes at a rate of 400 percent more than the overall population, Tina Tah, a chief medical officer with Indian Health Service, told a crowd assembled Monday night at New Mexico State University.

“As you can see we face some real challenges,” Tah said.
As part of American Indian week, students at NMSU organized a panel on American Indian health issues.
Many of the diabetes programs at New Mexico’s 27 American Indian pueblos focus on prevention, more specifically on changing lifestyles.

With the rise of Type 2 diabetes among American Indian youth, Tah said, prevention and altering sedentary habits is more cost effective. 

In 1997, Congress provided $150 million for IHS to develop diabetes prevention programs. About 34 programs exist in New Mexico, which included the construction of wellness centers, athletic activities for young people and an emphasis on exercise.

Spinning classes, using stationary bikes, have taken hold on some reservations. Tah showed a five-minute video promoting the benefits of spinning, which showed American Indians sweating it out on bikes.
“You have nothing to lose, but a few extra pounds” said the video’s narrator.
Getting tribal leaders to practice healthy lifestyles and act as positive role models is key, Tah said.
“Providing direction for our youth is a starting point,” she said.

While there has been some measured improvement over the years in the areas of unintentional deaths and Hepatitis A and B, almost no improvements have been made in others, said Ken Reid, a special projects coordinator with the New Mexico Department of Health.
In New Mexico, the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver increased from 41 percent of American Indians from 1989 to 1991 to 54 percent from 1998 to 2000, according to a study completed by department of health.
With alcoholism, tribes tend to do a good job of providing services for those wanting to quit, but provide little or no aftercare, Tah said. Within a few months of returning home, many begin drinking again, with devastating effects on the family.

Reid stressed to the students the need for educated American Indians to come back to their reservations and help improve the quality of life for the rest of their communities.
“There is a huge need for us to go back,” Reid said.

Gabriela C. Guzman can be reached at [email protected]