Current Studies

Exploring Food Insecurity and Pilot Testing a Diabetes Nutrition Education Program and Healthy Food Access Service for American Indian and Alaska Native Adults with Type 2 Diabetes 

Funding:

• National Institutes of Health (K01DK128023) - 2021-2026
• American Diabetes Association (11-22-ICTSN-10) - 2022-2025

Healthy nutrition habits are key to managing type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) often lack access to culturally relevant nutrition education and they disproportionately experience food insecurity. Food insecurity, defined as lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life, negatively impacts one’s ability to engage in diabetes self-management and care. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if diabetes nutrition education and an added food security resource, such as farmers market vouchers for fruits and vegetables, can improve diabetes self-management for AI/ANs living with T2D. Researchers will work with collaborators at the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic in Oklahoma City, OK, and an American Indian community advisory board (CAB) throughout the study to ensure the nutrition education and food security resources are designed to meet the needs of the community and clinic. With the guidance of the CAB, researchers will recruit adults living with T2D to participate in a 3-month intervention. Participants will be randomized into one of 3 groups. Some people will have diabetes nutrition education and the food security resource, some will have only the diabetes nutrition education, and some will receive only the food security resource. Outcomes such as food security status and clinical diabetes health indicators will be measured at 5 timepoints. This intervention is significant to diabetes because AI/ANs experience diabetes health disparities and the combination of diabetes nutrition education plus an added food security resource could help decrease T2D complications and improve quality of life for AI/AN adults living with T2D.

Publications resulting from this project are forthcoming.