Adult Health Status Among Native American Families Participating in the Growing Resilience Home Garden Study

Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes sharing the Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR) in Wyoming reportedly die 30 years earlier than whites in the state. We analyzed data on the health status of 176 adults from 96 families who participated in a randomized controlled trial to assess health effects of home gardens. Measures of body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c, vitamin D, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and household food security were collected from participating adults before the intervention. Results indicated that this group has considerably worse health status than average US adults and also fares worse than average American Indians/Alaska Natives. To help improve these disparities, Native Americans need access to appropriate and effective means of health promotion.