Background: Type II diabetes is a chronic disease that remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. On the national, state, and local levels, the Native American population has continued to experience higher type II diabetes rates than any other racial or ethnic group. In Utah, the overall health status of Native Americans is poorer than other Utahns. Normalization of blood glucose levels through nutrition management is a fundamental aspect of type II diabetes care. The project site, located in Salt Lake City, serves many Native American patients with type II diabetes; however, nutritional education resources are lacking. EBP Framework: Kurt Lewin's Change Theory and The Model for Evidence-Based Practice Change by Rosswurm and Larrabee served as the framework for this quality improvement project. Methods: This project's main objective was to evaluate the effectivenesss of an educational intervention focused on nutrition management of Native American patients with type II diabetes among providers at a single inner-city clinic. Once IRB approval was obtained, a provider in-service occurred. Project participants were comprised of a convenience sample of providers working at the clinic. A pre-survey post-survey design was used to measure the project outcomes. Findings/Results: This project measured the provider's awareness and confidence in providing nutrition education for Native American patients with type II diabetes before and after a educational intervention. The project results suggested that an educational intervention aimed at increasing healthcare providers' awareness and cofidence in using culturally congruent evidence-based tools for nutrition management of diabetes had a significant impact. Conclusion/Recommendations: Implementing an educational intervention increased provder's awareness and confidence in providing culturally congruent nutrition education for the Native American patient with type II diabetes; therefore, it can be concluded that provided with evidence-based nutrition information, providers will induce favorable behavior changes in patients. Such dietary changes can improve the control of type II diabetes and reduce associated comorbidities. It is recommended that clinics serving Native American patients implement ongoing provider education related to culturally congruent nutrition management of type II diabetes.

Discusses diabetes nutrition education priorities and strategies; the healthy eating food guide pyramid for Native Americans with diabetes; and teaching with the healthy eating food guide.

Developed to provide quick access to diabetes nutrition resources and guidance on their use. This manual describes 10 nutrition education materials; provides teaching tips for the 10 materials; and contains updates on the latest in nutrition care for persons with diabetes. The intended audience is health educators/providers (nurses, family nurse practitioners, physicians, physician assistants, community health workers, and dietitians).

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that affects thousands of individuals yearly. Despite current prevention measures, the number of new cases continues to rise. It is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and the annual costs for its treatment and care are estimated at 174 billion U.S. dollars. Type 2 diabetes is prevalent among all races, ages, and sexes, but its incidence is disproportionately higher among Native Americans. Children at the Bdote Learning Center in Minneapolis, Minn., a school that serves the Dakota and Ojibwe communities, are at high risk for developing this deadly disease before they reach adulthood. Preventative measures for type 2 diabetes have predominantly focused on tertiary measures of disease treatment, with little focus on primary prevention such as childhood nutrition information and lifestyle changes. A shift in the paradigm is needed to provide culturally congruent preventative care. Using Leininger's Culture Care Theory as a guide, this paper proposes an early-childhood nutrition-education program at the Bdote Learning Center as a means for combating type 2 diabetes -- one that aligns with cultural values and learning styles acceptable to the Native American population.