Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Restricted Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Nursing (MAN)

Department

Nursing

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is a disease that affects thousands of individuals yearly and despite the current prevention measures, the number of new cases continues to rise. Type 2 diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and the costs for treatment and care for type 2 diabetic related illnesses is an estimated $174 billion dollars annually. Type 2 diabetes impacts all races, ages, and sexes, however the incidence is disproportionally higher among the Native American population and the numbers of children and adolescents diagnosed with type 2 diabetes continues to rise. Children at the Bdote Learning Center in Minneapolis, MN are at high risk for developing this deadly disease before they reach adulthood. Preventative measures for type 2 diabetes has predominantly focused on tertiary measures of disease treatment and little focus has been on primary prevention such as childhood nutrition education and lifestyle changes. A shift in the paradigm is needed that will provide a culturally congruent preventative care to combat the rising statistics of type 2 diabetes in Native American children. 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 that aligns cultural values and learning styles acceptable to the Native American population.

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