Planting the Seeds of Wellness: An urban American Indian culturally relevant and family centered program to promote health self efficacy, family cohesion and community connectedness

Urban American Indians/Alaska Natives (AIAN) experience the same disparities as the general AIAN population, come from diverse tribal backgrounds and have multiple reasons for living in urban areas. There are few studies designed to specifically meet their needs and concerns. The Seeds of Wellness (SOW) is a pilot study, funded by NIH-NCMHHD, designed to explore the development of an urban indigenous health model that provides an effective culturally relevant intervention to enhance protective factors related to chronic disease. We will share how a partnership between the Tucson Indian Center, the University of Arizona Zuckerman College of Public Health, and the urban AIAN community applied a community based participatory research approach (CBPR) to develop the intervention. This family centered and culturally based program consisted of 7 – 10 gatherings. Using a cognitive behavioral and indigenous learning approach, it provided health and wellness education embedded in social, creative and cultural activities. The primary goals of the intervention were to increase family cohesion, community connectedness and individuals' health behaviors and physical activity. Preliminary results indicate there was a trend to improve health self-efficacy regarding healthy eating and an increased readiness to change in choosing healthy snacks. Two elements of family connectedness increased over time: 1) adult praise of youth about being physically active and 2) listening to family members even when they disagreed. These results are encouraging for further evidence-based program implementation to promote the health and well-being of urban American Indian/Alaska Natives. Program videos will also be shown.