Recipient Organization
SALISH KOOTENAI COLLEGE
P.O. BOX 117
PABLO,MT 59855
Performing Department
COMMUNITY HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Non Technical Summary
The Flathead Indian Reservation is home to the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) & covers 1,244,000 acres in western Montana. Before establishment of the Reservation in 1855, the tribes gained subsistence from a tribal system of hunting, fishing, & harvesting. The quest for food began in early spring with the bitterroot harvest, followed by gatherings of camas bulbs, tree moss, onions, Indian potatoes, Indian carrots, & medicinal plants; summer brought berry harvests. Hunting was a summer & fall activity; fishing happened year-round. All hunting & harvesting were communal activities; while the men concentrated on hunting, the women dried meat and prepared hides for robes & buckskins. After 1855, the subsistence lifestyle was replaced by limited movement & surplus commodity foods high in refined carbohydrates & fat. Considerable evidence exists for the negative impact of acculturation (especially in terms of diet & activity levels) for indigenous peoples, demonstrating the need for special emphasis on diet & lifestyle to reverse these impacts. The emphasis of this proposal is to mobilize the community toward healthier lifestyles that reflect the principles of ancestral diets & activity levels. It is well documented that type II diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease are rampant in American Indian communities. The Flathead Reservation is no exception. IHS Data for the Flathead Tribal Clinic indicates that overweight & obesity continue to be major health issues on the Reservation. The data show the average BMI of WIC mothers is above what qualifies as overweight & suggests 25-36% of children ages 2-5 are at risk for or already are overweight. These statistics also highlight the socio-familial factor of obesity risk: overweight parents are more likely to raise overweight children. Because these diseases are linked to a sedentary lifestyle & diets high in fats & refined carbohydrates, we intend to expand group opportunities for education in healthy diets & lifestyles. We aim to increase healthier dietary choices; increase regular exercise in daily lifestyles; & produce curriculum & training aides for on-going learning & resale. To meet these goals & mobilize the community toward healthier lifestyles, we will produce 13 healthy-cooking shows (RezChef) & 13 fitness shows (RezMove) filmed before live audiences allowing us to disseminate nutrition & fitness information directly to our target population. When finished, the RezChef & RezMove DVDs will be part of a curriculum guide. We will market these guides to institutional cooks, teachers, & health departments on other reservations. The curriculum guides will also be available to Flathead Reservation residents free of charge. We believe our project will succeed at mobilizing the community toward healthier lifestyles through better dietary choices & increased physical activity.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
It is well documented that type II diabetes, obesity, & cardiovascular disease are rampant in American Indian communities. The Flathead Reservation is no exception. Because these diseases are all linked to a sedentary lifestyle & diets high in fats & refined carbohydrates, we propose to expand group opportunities for basic & extension education in healthy diets & lifestyles on the Reservation. We aim to 1) increase healthier dietary choices by a) determining appropriate curriculum content & designing learning objectives to develop a curriculum guide for instructors; b) conducting 13 half-hour RezChef cooking classes/shows for live audiences/participants to be aired on public TV & for classroom-based instruction in healthy cooking; 2) increase regular exercise into daily lifestyles by a) determining appropriate curriculum content, designing learning objectives, & developing a curriculum guide for fitness instructors; b) conducting 13 half-hour RezMove fitness classes/shows for live audiences/participants to be aired on public TV & for classroom-based instruction; 3) produce curriculum & training aides for on-going learning & for resale to other tribal communities by a) producing finished RezChef & RezMove DVDs; b) composing curriculum guides for institutional cooks & instructors containing an outline of the key dietary and fitness points covered in each of the RezChef & RezMove shows, with applicable tables, charts, demonstrative photos, & other relevant information; c) producing packets containing the RezChef & RezMove DVDs & curriculum guides for distribution & resale. We will first create & produce a series of 13 healthy-cooking shows/classes under the brand name RezChef & 13 fitness shows under the brand name RezMove recorded in DVD format. When finished, the RezChef & RezMove DVDs will become part of a curriculum guide containing an outline of the key dietary & fitness points addressed in each of the cooking & fitness shows, as well as applicable tables, charts, demonstrative photos, and other relevant information. We will market these guides to institutional cooks (such as those working for Head Start & the reservation public schools, as well as the cooks for the traditional wakes/funerals & the Salish Kootenai College cafeteria cooks), teachers, and health departments on other reservations. The curriculum guides will also be available to Flathead Reservation residents. Interested residents will be able to access 4 complete curriculum guides free of charge from: 1) Tribal Health and Human Services in St. Ignatius; 2) the Salish-Pend d Oreille Culture Committee in St. Ignatius; 3) the D Arcy McNickle Library at Salish Kootenai College in Pablo; and 4) the Kootenai Culture Committee in Elmo. We believe that our project as outlined in this proposal will succeed at mobilizing the community toward healthier lifestyles through better dietary choices and increased physical activity.
Project Methods
The emphasis of this proposal is to mobilize the community toward healthier lifestyles through better dietary choices and increased physical activity. Two separate 5-member committees (one each for RezChef & RezMove) will determine the main point for each show/class. The RezChef committee will consist of a nutritionist/dietician, a tribal member familiar with traditional foods & diet, a naturopathic doctor (or similar occupation), a curriculum development person, & a staff person. The RezMove committee will consist of a personal trainer, a tribal member fitness instructor, a physical therapist (or similar occupation), a curriculum development person, and a staff person. Role models from within the community, who are leaders in terms of healthy lifestyles, cultural knowledge, elder status, &/or fitness education, will be selected as show guests to assist in presenting the information. The shows will be filmed before live audiences, allowing our target population to receive instruction on better dietary choices & incorporating physical activity into their daily lives. Audience questions & comments may help determine the final content of a show DVD, further increasing the potential to positively influence the community as they will feel a vested interest. Curriculum guides will provide additional opportunities to disseminate the information from the shows/classes. These guides will be basic but comprehensive, cataloging dietary & fitness topics addressed in the RezChef & RezMove shows & containing the show DVDs & an index listing additional resources on health-related topics. Once developed, the guides will be available for purchase. Guides will also be available free of charge at 4 locations on the Reservation. The RezChef & RezMove DVDs will be available for purchase apart from the rest of the packet. The necessity for culturally-appropriate approaches in prompting a community-wide shift in health & nutrition behaviors is central to our approach. Our project utilizes existing social networks, programs, & ways in which community members already come together in order to promote health. The proposed program will complement & supplement these existing frameworks, & add a focus on dietary & physical activity practices that we hope will begin to shift consciousness regarding choices made for refreshments, snacks, meal menus, & activities. A combination of qualitative (participant feedback) & quantitative evaluation (numbers from the shows/classes audience members, daily use logs at fitness centers, etc.) will be effective in determining the impact of our project. Ms. Dupuis, the PD for this proposal, will provide planning & advisory assistance in setting up data collection & evaluation procedures; will provide guidance on the development of the analysis; & will co-author final reports of program effectiveness for this project.