IRD Releases Study Highlighting Double Burden of Malnutrition and Obesity Facing American Indian Populations

Washington, DC — April 14, 2008 — Malnutrition is a growing issue for marginalized and underserved segments of the U.S. population, especially rural and reservation-based American Indians, finds a new study commissioned by IRD and conducted by Dr. Michele Companion of the University of Colorado.  The study examines the “double burden” of poverty: malnutrition along with a rapid rise in obesity and diet-related chronic diseases in American Indians.

“This study sheds new light on the issue of malnutrition and American Indians,” said Thoric Cederström, director of IRD’s Sustainable Food and Agriculture Systems sector.  “We are starting a conversation about best practices for fighting hunger and ending the double burden across the globe.”

IRD announced the findings at an event held in conjunction with the International Food Aid Conference at the Heart of the American Indian Center in Kansas City, MO. At the same event, Cederström announced a petition to raise awareness about malnutrition among American Indians, originating with Mayor of Kansas City Mark Funkhouser, available to sign through www.ird.org.

While the current state of American Indian health has improved slightly from 10 years ago, it continues to lag behind all other population groups and poverty clusters in the nation, making malnutrition on reservations comparable to malnutrition in some developing countries.  IRD is seeking to translate their successes in fighting malnutrition in Cambodia and Indonesia, into assistance for American Indian groups.

High poverty rates, lack of employment opportunities, geographic isolation, and increasingly sedentary lifestyle, have prevented movements toward healthier diets, resulting in epidemic levels of related illnesses such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension on reservations.  Proposed solutions such as working to improve access to markets, reintroducing traditional diets and developing community-based agriculture options on reservations can help lead to better food choices and healthier lives.

IRD was founded in 1998 as a charitable, non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to reducing the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable groups and providing tools and resources needed to increase their self-sufficiency.