CSKT chosen for Prevention of Toddler Overweight Study (PTOTS)

By Alyssa Kelly

PABLO — The Prevention of Toddler Overweight and Tooth Decay Study (PTOTS) began with The Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (NPAIHB.) In 2006, six tribes of the northwest region were chosen at random to participate in a scientific study on Overweight Native children. The tribes were chosen as resource groups. Three tribes, including CSKT, the Umatilla Tribe of Oregon and the Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Idaho, were chosen as the intervention resources of the study. Three other tribes, the Siletz tribe of Oregon, the Tulalip and Colville tribes of Washington, were selected as the control resources of the study. The end results will be compared and analyzed and will serve as a tool in researching the overweight Native children epidemic and used to promote the solutions to the problem.

There has been a need for overweight prevention in Native American children. "American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) children have overweight rates that are 18 -30% higher than the general American population of children. Adult obesity has early antecedents, and data show that eating and physical activity behaviors are formed and set as early as three years of age through primary socialization with families. Yet few, if any, obesity prevention programs target children younger than three years of age. We propose a primary overweight prevention study targeting American Indian children 0-2 years of age. The project's overall objectives are to test whether community and family-based intervention can alter feeding practices and influence parents to reduce sedentary lifestyles in Northwest American Indian communities," says the PTOTS abstract.

The CSKT program site coordinator, Betty Weaselhead of SKC, and her assistant, Carol Tenney, have recruited twenty-six family participants and their goal is to recruit one hundred and fifty by the end of the study. "Our goal is to recruit mothers while they are pregnant and encourage them to breastfeed. If we recruit the mother's while their still pregnant, we can build a relationship with them and they will feel more comfortable working with us throughout the three-year time span. This is the first study on prenatal overweight and diabetes in the Nation," says Weaselhead.

The overall goals of the CSKT's PTOTS is to help expectant mothers, newborns, and toddlers to drink less sugared drinks, promote and inform on the importance of breastfeeding, help families develop or maintain healthy eating practices, and help parents develop strategies for their toddlers to become more physically active.

At times that seem fit, Weaselhead gets involved in helping the mothers personally. At one point she'd gone above and beyond to research the Senate Bill 89, which protects breastfeeding mothers in the workplace. The bill, which will go into effect in October of 2007, prohibits public employers from discriminating against breast-feeding mothers. Weaselhead was asked by a client to inform their employer of the bill because she was facing scrutiny for bringing her baby into the workplace.

According to the Indian Health service, breastfeeding has several benefits to both the mother and child including prevention of type two diabetes and overweight children. (For more information on the benefits of breastfeeding please look to the sidebar featured in this article.)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "Natives have higher rate of breastfeeding (56.2 percent) than the general population (46.2 percent) due to WIC breast-feeding promotion programs. These WIC programs have initiated culturally appropriate strategies that have proven successful in improving initiation rates as well as the duration of breast-feeding."

"The other part of this success in breast-feeding, is that the practice is consistent with American Indian and Alaska Native cultural practices. Many generations of women breastfed their babies and it continues in many Native communities to this day."

While the main focus of PTOTS is on the mother and child, they know the importance of the father's role in promotion of a healthier lifestyle. "We'll be hosting a baby shower for the fathers on June 14, 2007 at the Three Wolves Building from 6 to 8:30 p.m as an honor of Father's Day. Father's play a key role in supporting the mothers' breastfeeding longer. Through our research so far, we've noticed that the single mothers involved in the program have quit breastfeeding sooner than the two parent families," says Weaselhead.

Another research project PTOTS required to carry out is accountability for the majority of vending machines throughout the reservation; particularly machines that are most likely used by the Natives. The surveying took approximately three or four hours to account for all machines in only one building or store. "What I noticed from the research is that most of the sugary beverages or snacks were at eye level for children," says Weaselhead.

"I signed up with the program at the Baby Fair in Ronan last fall. They've given me nice things and help me keep track of my baby's growth. I'm a first time mom, and they've given me great advice. I would say my baby benefits from the program if anything because it teaches me how to keep her healthy. I think it's a good program, especially these days because of the problem with overweight kids. It's important to breastfeed and to feed your children right to keep them healthy. I would encourage women to join," says Danica Clairmont, a client of the program.

PTOTS has numerous services they offer to their clients including: providing information on any topic that mothers find of interest, incentives upon sign-up including a Boppy pillow (which a horseshoe shaped pillow made for convenience while breast-feeding) and referrals to several programs the mother's could find beneficial. "In the near future we are planning on relocating our office to the WIC office because we work well alongside their program as far as sharing information on the mothers," says Weaslhead. The families included in the program will also be featured on pamphlets and advertising to promote PTOTS. There are also several "resource moms" who were trained by specialists in Portland to assist the mothers throughout the time span; they are on call twenty-four hours a day.

For more information on the PTOTS program you can contact Betty Weaselhead or Carol Tenney at (406) 275-2865.