University of Arizona Crowdfunding

I am very happy to report that we have met 100% of our campaign goal; thanks to all of you for making this possible!

We have received a $5,000 donation from the Arizona Cardinals!!!  Go Cardinals!

The money raised through the campaign will pay for the camp fees of 33 individuals; we appreciate your making camp possible for these participants!!! Thank you!!

You have shown your good qualities in action by making a donation to the American Indian Youth Wellness Camp.  Thank you so much for believing in our work and for making a difference in the lives of children and adolescents who are making a commitment to change.

May your contribution be rewarded!  We will be in touch with a camp update.

Thank you!, Francine C. Gachupin, PhD, MPH, Camp Director Assistant Professor, University of Arizona Jemez Pueblo tribal member

"The greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more." --Jonas Salk, medical researcher

The contributions of so many, including you, will form the foundation for a program that forms an impression on native people.  Although our efforts are primarily focused on youth, our efforts are far-reaching. Let me explain.  Last week, I was at a luncheon for native seniors and I was talking to a staff member about the camp.  In conversation, I learned the staff member had listened in on a webinar where I spoke about the camp.  From the webinar, our instruction of 8-5-2-1-0 was adopted and now is an integral component of their health promotion efforts.  At camp, we instruct the importance of 8 hours of sleep per night, the importance of eating 5 fruits and vegetables per day, no more than 2 hours of screen time, 1 hour of physical exercise and 0 sugared beverages.  How wonderful to hear that our message is being passed along!

As you learned from the video, our camp provides valuable practical training for students and our camp epitomizes a productive and engaged University-tribal partnership.

You've made this opportunity a reality and from your contribution we can do more.

"Lifestyle is Medicine"

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a new morbidity in children and adolescents; if unaddressed it represents earlier onset of cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy, with risk of impaired quality of life and premature death. Not all populations are equally affected. American Indian children have a higher rate of this disease than do children of other races. We can prevent the onset and/or intervene with increased physical activity and healthy nutrition, the focus of our residential wellness camp. 

A great big THANK YOU! to our supporters to date, including the Sundt Foundation.  If you have not contributed as yet, please do so. Lifestyle is medicine.

The American Indian Youth Summer Wellness Camp strives to increase physical activity and healthful eating among at-risk southwest American Indian youth. The Wellness Camp is one week in duration and involves youth, aged 10-15 years. Youth who attend camp are self selected or referred by local tribal health programs. In any given summer, 35-60 youth attend camp. Approximately 20%-33% of youth return from one year to the next. We describe our program to increase healthy lifestyles among American Indian youth at risk for overweight, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The Wellness Camp Program includes five primary components: (1) cultural capital, (2) structured education sessions, (3) anthropometric and risk behavior assessments, (4) physical engagement, and (5) health messaging. Within this article (follow link), we describe our program to increase healthy lifestyles among American Indian youth at risk for overweight, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/ 

American Indians are disproportionately affected by obesity and diabetes. Among all ethnic groups in the United States, AI youth have the highest prevalence of obesity and diabetes. Overweight children are likely to become overweight adults, highlighting the urgency for programs that focus on obesity prevention in youth.

Obesity is defined in adults as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or higher, and in youth is a BMI greater than the 95th percentile for age and gender. Obesity is a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, and stroke.

During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high. Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2 - 19 years are obese and extreme obesity (BMI > 40) was 5.8%.

The high prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has led the World Health Organization (2010) to declare obesity a worldwide epidemic and recommend interventions to combat this trend. Our camp is such an intervention.

Please support our efforts today.  A sincere thank you to those who have contributed!

We truly appreciate the support of University of Arizona (UA) faculty and staff! 

As UA personnel, you can choose to enroll in automatic payroll deductions to benefit the camp.  Our very own Department of Family & Community Medicine, Deanne Kelly and another anonymous faculty member have been donating through this mechanism. Thank you!

Donations make it possible for us to complete assessments such as body composition, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, waist circumference, and 24-hour dietary recalls.

Give today!