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January 04, 2007
Kraft Foods Grant Supports Diabetes Education in Sawyer County, Wis.
The Sawyer County 4-H program showcases the different options in soft drinks available for kids with diabetes to help them keep their sugar levels in mind.
Extension staff members, tribal representatives from Native American communities and other volunteers worked together to develop the Woodlands Institute Camp and Diabetes Seminar for Families program which focused on the health concerns, mainly diabetes, of Native Americans on the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Ojibwe Reservation in Wisconsin. This program was funded by a Healthy Lifestyles Grant from National 4-H Council in partnership with Kraft Foods, Inc.
In response to the growing number of youth diagnosed with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes on the LCO Ojibwe Reservation, the Summer Survivor Camp for Youth with Diabetes initiative was introduced. The increase in the incidence of diabetes is due to lack of opportunities for youth to participate in on-going physical activities, limited nutrition education, and a low-level of community awareness of the problem; the Woodlands Institute Summer Camp and a Diabetes Seminar for Families provided an opportunity to address these factors.
In all, 28 LCO youth and 11 adult leaders participated in the three day camp for 6th and 7th graders featuring activities such as nutrition education, playing Ojibwe games and diabetes education. A corroborating Diabetes Seminar for Families engaged eight youth and 32 adults, with topics including diabetes basics, heart disease, indigenous foods, nutrition education, metabolic syndrome and care of diabetic feet.
This program was conducted in cooperation with the LCO Health Center, WI Nutrition Education Program and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College (LCOOCC). The LCOOCC is a 1994 Land Grant University.
For more information on National 4-H Council’s Healthy Lifestyles grants, contact Gregg Tabachow at gtabachow@fourhcouncil.edu.
For more information on the Sawyer County 4-H Program, contact Wabanung (Star) Boss at starq@lco.edu.
Posted in category 4-H Stories at 02:52 PM