Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104395

Cathy Edgerly, BS and Lulu Bagnol, MPH, CHES. Tribal, Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, 2956 Ashmun Street, Sault Ste Marie, MI 49783, 906-632-6896, lulu@itcmi.org

Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan was the first Tribal organization to be funded by the Steps to a Healthier US initiative. The goal of the project, Steps to a Healthier Anishinaabe (The People), is to reduce the burden of chronic disease specific to diabetes, obesity, and asthma among eight Michigan federally recognized Tribes, representing 37 counties. Native Americans have disparity rates higher than most minorities in chronic disease morbidity and mortality, which are far above State and national averages. In order to reduce these disparities, each Tribe has created their own Community Action Plan. It is especially important to include Tribes in the planning process as they are sovereign and are also very unique in their infrastructure.

Healthier Anishinaabe is currently in year two of the five year initiative and is working to include Tribal involvement in the planning of and the use of best practices for school, community, and health care interventions. Each Tribe is working to strengthen existing partnerships to increase interest in passing on traditional wisdom and cultural practices. Evaluation evolves around four local tools and two national instruments, the BRFSS and YRBSS. Local evaluation focuses on change of attitude, belief, and behavior during native and non-native interventions. The BRFSS consists of four different methodologies and an over sampling of the YRBSS to reach more native youth. Reporting involves simple, colorful, and flexible methods. A Native approach of evaluating; continuous interpersonal interaction, and understanding native values, were the key to evaluate effectively multiple tribes.

Learning Objectives:

• To recognize how Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan (ITCM) modeled the public health example of distributing the majority of funds to the community vs. staff
• To identify the Native way of partnerships and integration
• To describe some of the unique characteristics of Tribal Steps interventions

Keywords: Native Americans, American Indians

Related Web page: www.itcmi.org/steps

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.