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The Steps to a HealthierUS 5-year cooperative agreement program funds States,
cities, and tribal entities to implement chronic disease prevention efforts
focused on reducing the burden of diabetes, overweight, obesity, and asthma and
addressing three related risk factors: physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and
tobacco use.
For FY 2003, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) allocated
$13.6 million to fund 24 communities, including the Inter-Tribal Council of
Michigan; in FY 2004, HHS allocated $35.8 million to increase funding to the
existing 24 communities and to fund an additional 16, for a total of 40
communities.
Project Area
- Eight of 11 federally recognized tribal communities covering 38 of the 83
counties in Michigan (42,786 American Indians).
- Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Bands of Ottawa and Chippewa
Indians, Hannahville Indian Community, Huron Potawtomi Indian Community,
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians,
Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
- Part of the four-State region known as the Bemidji Area of Indian Health
Services.
Target Population
Steps Activities
Media
Implement communitywide media campaigns to promote healthy food choices
(e.g., the 5 A Day for Better Health Program and decrease tobacco use and
exposure to secondhand smoke through the American Lung Association's (ALA)
Poisoning Our Children campaign.
Implement communitywide media campaigns to encourage Native American
families to "Take it Outside," thus decreasing Native youth's exposure to
secondhand smoke and its harmful effects and increasing the likelihood of
cessation efforts.
Expand upon existing public advertising and promotion campaigns in
Steps-related areas, such as nutrition and diabetes prevention, by using
multiple media outlets, including newspapers, public service announcements,
and radio stations.
Policy
Help tribes implement policies on tobacco use and tribal school nutrition
programs as needed.
Work with tribal schools and businesses to develop and implement
guidelines for providing healthy snacks and foods in school vending machines,
casino restaurants, and convenience stores.
School
Provide asthma education through various curricula, such as the ALA's
Tools for Schools, for teachers, nurses, and parents of children with asthma.
Implement the State of Michigan's revised School Health Index (the Healthy
School Action Tool), a self-assessment and planning guide for developing
improved physical activity, healthful eating, and tobacco-free lifestyle
programs in schools with a high percentage of Native Americans.
Work with community respiratory therapists to provide asthma prevention
guidance and training to schools with tribal youth.
Community
Execute a wide-scale community wellness assessment, such as the Personal
Wellness Profile by Wellsource. Tribal staff will be trained on this wellness
software and will perform the assessment at health fairs to gather data.
Create a resurgence of interest in passing on traditional wisdom and
cultural practices, including consumption of highly nutritious traditional
foods, through various interventions related to each tribe.
Workplace
Coordinate brown bag lunches for employees at local casinos and hotels to
discuss a health promotion agenda, such as increasing healthier choices in
vending machines and worksite wellness.
Tribes may work with local businesses to partner and encourage increased
use of tribal fitness facilities.
Health Care
Train health care providers in health promotion initiatives, such as A
Systems Approach to Treating Tobacco Dependence; in implementing clinical
guidelines; and in using weight-management screening and education for people
who are at risk of becoming obese.
Evaluation
HHS will provide training and technical assistance to help each Steps
community develop measurable program objectives and specific indicators of
progress and use relevant data to support ongoing program improvement. HHS will
also conduct a national evaluation of the entire program. Existing data sources,
such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Youth Risk
Behavior Surveillance System, will be used to identify and measure program
outcomes and assess progress toward program goals.
Community Partners
Tribal Head Start and Early Head Start programs, Michigan
Diabetes Outreach Networks, Michigan Asthma Association, Michigan Department of
Education, Title VII Indian Education program, tribal school staff, Michigan
Department of Community Health, American Lung Association, American Diabetes
Association/Upper Peninsula Diabetes Outreach Network, Indian Health
Service-supported programs (e.g., tribal community health staff and tribal
fitness center directors) and tribal gaming and hotel human resources staff.
Contact Information:
Cathy C. Edgerly, B.S.
Steps Program Coordinator
Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan
2956 Ashmun Street
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
(906) 632-6896
(906) 635-4212 fax
cathye@itcmi.org
www.itcmi.org
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