Northern Michigan Regional Hospital has launched a new study which addresses diet-related diseases.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in the United States and in Michigan. The risk of dying from this disease is linked to risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, lack of physical activity, abnormal lipid levels and family history.

National statistics show that in the Native American population, diabetes, heart disease and cancer are among the leading causes of death. Locally, a 2006 survey of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians showed that the proportion of overweight respondents was 12.3 percent above the state average and the proportion of tribe members with diabetes was three times larger than the percentage of all Michigan adults with diabetes.

In response, Northern Michigan Regional Hospital Nursing Research and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians have collaborated on a study called, “A Happy Odawa Family Kitchen,” or “Chi-nendimok Odawak Ezhi-ngodwewaangizwad Jiibaakwegamgoong.” With funding from a grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation, this study will focus on the principles of nutrition and exercise with the goal of reducing tribal risk of diet-related diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, cancer and diabetes.

“We are very pleased to have received a grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation for this program which is focused on healthy living. We look forward to working with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians to achieve positive outcomes and care for members of the tribe,” said Linda Schofield, nursing research coordinator at Northern Michigan Regional Hospital.  

With an enrollment target of eight family units (may include parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and/or grandparents) per session, the program will run for eight consecutive weeks, meeting for two hours each time. During the meetings, a nationally recognized cooking and nutrition education program will be presented. Each session will have an educational component, food preparation component and exercise component.

The food preparation will incorporate the healthy foods within the Little Traverse Bay Bands culture and will include principles to greatly reduce the risk of diet-related diseases. Each family in the program will be given $20 for weekly healthy groceries to aid in their purchasing healthy food products. In addition, traditional Odawa recipes will be prepared using healthy alternatives.  

The exercise component will incorporate traditional tribal dancing, as well as different exercise activities such as walking and yoga. The program will be held at the Tribal Head Start building in Pellston where cultural values and beliefs of the Odawa Indians are practiced and displayed.