NIH-funded $2.8 million study seeks to develop, test culturally relevant, community-led intervention that supports American Indian youth in achieving healthy lifestyle choices to reduce health risks.
A new study led by the University of Arizona Department of Family and Community Medicine in the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson aims to develop a culturally relevant and community-led intervention to support and improve the health of American Indian youth – and reduce their risk for obesity and related metabolic diseases – through the adoption of healthier behaviors.
The project is supported by a five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The grant, “Achieving American Indian Youth Energy and Mental Health Balance,” is led by Francine C. Gachupin, PhD, MPH, associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and assistant director of the department’s Native American Research and Training Center.
Department of Psychiatry faculty member Noshene Ranjbar, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, serves as one of the co-investigators. Her area of focus on this five-year project is to incorporate mind-body skills training to address the effects of complex trauma in American Indian youth. Utilizing a trauma-informed care model, the project will empower tribal communities to implement culturally congruent, strength-based, preventative and therapeutic approaches to mitigate the effects of chronic stress on mental and physical health outcomes.