Southwest Cardiovascular Curriculum Project: Study Findings for American Indian Elementary Students

Abstract

The Southwestern Cardiovascular Curriculum is a multidisciplinary school-based program to promote cardiovascular health behavior change in fifth grade Navajo and Pueblo students. The curriculum was implemented at 11 elementary schools located on or near American Indian reservations in rural New Mexico. The five-year program was designed to be culturally relevant to rural American Indian children in the southwest, incorporating Native American traditions and values into lessons and activities. Participating schools were randomly assigned to curriculum or control conditions. Students in the curriculum group showed significant increases in knowledge when compared with controls for both Navajos and Pueblos. A higher proportion of students in the curriculum group reported a decrease in the frequency of salt use at the table and butter on bread or tortillas. Of students who had tried smoking at baseline, boys and Pueblo students in the curriculum group reported decreasing their smoking habits more than controls. Similarly, boys and Navajo students who had tried smokeless tobacco at baseline, and received the curriculum, reported using less smokeless tobacco at the post-test than controls. In the curriculum group, 70 percent of students reported increasing the amount they exercised since baseline. These results indicate that culturally appropriate school-based programs can help promote behavior changes that lead to healthy lifestyles in American Indian children.