Zuni Pueblo American Indians, Essay Example

The Zuni Pueblo community has many serious concerns to deal with; however, most notably the issues of poor health are of key concern.  Research has shown that the state and national trends across the country emphasize a need for targeted programs to combat the growing rate of childhood obesity (Bryan, 2013).  Furthermore, as childhood, young adult and adult obesity continue to grow, diabetes is a second key concern as it is one of the leading causes of death across the country (UNM Health Sciences Center, 2014).  As these two very critical issues are rampant across the country, the Zuni Pueblo community must also address these concerns, as these are two of the most important community needs.  A key adversity that must be addressed is a lack of education and knowledge around healthy behaviors (Grugel, 2012).  Without a strong intervention program, the Zuni Pueblo community will continue to act as it has and be forced to deal with the unfortunate and very avoidable consequences.

In order to promote greater health and wellbeing in Zuni Pueblo, many key resources will be required to overcome the current dilemmas facing the community.  The existing Teen Health Center, Zuni Wellness Center and other community health workers must be available to provide adequate support in identifying causal factors, treating the consequences of these poor health habits and educating members of the community to alter behaviors (Shah et. al, 2014).  These resources will promote proper decision-making and healthy behaviors; however, the community still has an economic barrier to overcome.  While the Recession may be over, the Zuni Pueblo community continues to face issues of poor economic performance and slow economic recovery (Grugel, 2012).  Eating healthy is not always an inexpensive task and the community must be taught appropriate spending habits to help make healthy decisions while on a budget.  Lastly, the Zuni Pueblo community must have improved access to screening resources, educational materials and other medical tools that will aid in completing this total community transformation (Shah et.al, 2014).  Without addressing each of these barriers, any strategy will not be successful.

In designing a strategic intervention method, the needs and concerns of the Zuni Pueblo community must be effectively addressed.  To begin, any implementation tactic must begin with being cost-effective to both the community and the residents; otherwise, the people will not have the economic strength to maintain any long-term health improvement strategy.  To address the issues with childhood obesity, there are two key educational methods that must be implemented.  Education can occur in both the local schools and Teen Health Centers to touch every child within the community and teach proper eating habits, the importance of exercise and making healthy habits fun.  Likewise, education must be provided to the adults in the community in the Zuni Wellness Center, medical facilities and all local chapters and community buildings.  Free programs should be offered whenever possible to promote attendance and teaching healthy alternatives to cheap, unhealthy foods is highly important.  Adult recreational leagues should be created and promoted wherever possible and a very strong campaign should be designed around eliminating unhealthy foods from local shopping stores and food markets.  Without complete buy-in from all areas of the community, any implementation method will fail.  Therefore, a political mandate of sorts should be unveiled with signed participation from local community leaders and residents that will be publicly displayed throughout Zuni Pueblo. The people, both young and old, should be constantly reminded of the choice to promote healthy behaviors and the community’s commitment to doing so.

The Zuni Pueblo community is proud of its rich history, but its members lack the necessary resources and knowledge to effectively combat poor health habits.  The proposed implementation program is both strategic and encompasses action items that will combat all of the barriers and support the local community needs in a way never before experienced.  In summary, without full community support both economically and socially, the children and adults facing serious medical treatment issues will continue to be victimized.

References

Bryan, S.M. (2013). NM officials concerned about childhood obesity Retrieved from http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_22728331/childhood-obesity-rise-nm

County Health Report Cards. Engaging in Communities to Serve the People of New Mexico. UNM Health Service Center. Retrieved from http://hsc.unm.edu/community/InTheCommunity/common/docs/CountyReportsFY13.pdf

Grugel, A. (2012). Culture, religion and economy in the American southwest: Zuni Pueblo and Laguna Pueblo. GeoJournal, 77(6), 791-803.

Shah, V.O., Ghahate, D.M., Bobelu, J., Sandy, P., Newman, S., Helitzer, D.L., Faber, T., and Zager, P. (2014). Identifying barriers to health care to reduce health disparity in Zuni Indians using focus group conducted by community health workers. Clinical and Translational Science, 7(1), 6-11.