The Significance of a K-12 Diabetes-Based Science Education Program for Tribal Populations: Evaluating Cognitive Learning, Cultural Context, and Attitudinal Components

Authors

Carolee D. Francis, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Doug Coulson, PS International
Bonnie Kalberer, National Institutes of Health
Lemyra DeBruyn, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionFollow
William Freeman, Northwest Indian CollegeFollow
Janet Belcourt, Stone Child College

Keywords

American Indian/Alaska Native; Arctic peoples; Culture; Diabetes – Prevention; Education; Health education; Indians of North America; K-12 curriculum; Non-insulin-dependent diabetes – Study and teaching; Tribal schools; Type 2 diabetes; Youth

Disciplines

Community-Based Research | Medicine and Health | Place and Environment | Public Health | Race and Ethnicity

Abstract

Preventing and reducing the onset of type 2 diabetes among American Indian/Alaska Native youth requires ground-breaking strategies to affect knowledge, attitudes, and cognitive decision-making skills. In an unparalleled endeavor to address the growing epidemic of type 2 diabetes in tribal communities, a K-12 Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools (DETS) curriculum was created by eight tribal colleges and three federal agencies. This article highlights the results of the implementation phase, the final evaluation step in acquiring and measuring student knowledge and attitude gains through pre-post standardized assessment.

Recommended Citation

Francis, Carolee D.; Coulson, Doug; Kalberer, Bonnie; DeBruyn, Lemyra; Freeman, William; and Belcourt, Janet (2009) "The Significance of a K-12 Diabetes-Based Science Education Program for Tribal Populations: Evaluating Cognitive Learning, Cultural Context, and Attitudinal Components," Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice: Vol. 3: Iss. 3, Article 6.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol3/iss3/6