If you’ve ever visited or lived on a Native American Indian Reservation, it won’t take long for the conversation to turn to Medical and Health related issues.
Among the Medical issues that are plaguing these reservation are Diabetes, Type II Diabetes and Heart Disease.  Especially prevalent is Diabetes, and the effects of this disease are mind boggling in Indian Country.
While diet and exercise seem to be a key in the reduction of Medical problems, healthy eating habits and frequent exercise are not common themes on Indian Reservations.
With many of these Native American’s living at or below the poverty level, fresh fruit and vegetables are hard to come by and even harder to afford.  Many Native American’s supplement their diets with government issues commodities, and these foods are high in fat, low on protein and contribute heavily to many of the dietary problems on the Reservations.  Spend any time on the Reservations, and it will become immediately known that a ‘good’ snack is a 32 oz. soda and a big bag of chips.
With poverty high and employment rates low, Indian Reservations are not equipped with gyms at every corner.  In fact, many Reservations don’t have a single workout facility with weights and fancy treadmills.  In bigger cities you see runners and bikers every morning on just about every corner.  On Native American Reservations, you would be hard pressed to see an exercise enthusiast once every day.
Without proper workout facilities and healthy eating habits, many Native American’s lead sedentary lifestyles and eat very unhealthily – both factors that contribute to the Medical problems in America’s heartland.
Reservation HIS hospitals are filled to capacity with tribal members seeking Medical care for their many health related issues.  With a younger generation that is even less active than today’s elders, these problems on Reservations are likely to not go away any time soon.