ETHNICITY AND HEALTH: Incidence of Diabetes among Native American Population

Resumo

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to regulate the amount of sugar in the blood or when the body does not effectively use the insulin it produces. The World Health Organization (WHO) (2014) in the bulletin number 312 reveals alarming information in relation to the prevalence of diabetes in the world’s population. According to the WHO, worldwide, over 347 million people are living with diabetes (n.p.). Furthermore, this organization affirms that just during 2012, “An estimated 1.5 million people died as a consequence of excess blood sugar” (n.p.). This data represents a big concern because in the coming years the amount of people suffering from diabetes could continue to increase. Additionally, this disease disproportionately affects United States minority groups, including American Indians, who suffer from some of the highest rates of diabetes in the world. Now, in order to know about American Indian Studies, it is important to explore what could be the main reasons associated with high occurrence of diabetes in Native Americans, and what could be the ways to control this worrying health problem.