Walking in two worlds with type 2 diabetes: a scoping review of prevention and management practices incorporating traditional indigenous approaches

ABSTRACT

Type 2 diabetes is a complex chronic disease rapidly increasing among young people and disproportionately impacting Indigenous youth. Treatment programs are often inadequate for this population as they lack cultural relevance. A scoping review was conducted to explore traditional Indigenous approaches for diabetes prevention and management, to inform a program aimed at supporting Indigenous youth and families with type 2 diabetes. We seek to answer the following question: “Which traditional medicines and practices have been incorporated into intervention or prevention strategies for Indigenous people living with diabetes?” Search was done June 2021 using Ovid Medline, ESBCO and ProQuest databases. Terms included wellbeing, intervention, diabetes, and traditional approaches. Of the 2138 titles screened, 34 met inclusion criteria. Three studies integrated traditional Indigenous approaches into Western-based intervention programming. Content included traditional food and nutrition programs, gardening programs, Elder knowledge sharing, story telling, talking circles, feasting, prayer, traditional dancing, hunting, and school-based wellness curricula. Many were wholistic, co-created with community, Indigenous-led and held in accessible community spaces. The heterogeneity in approaches reflects the diversity of Indigenous nations and communities. This review identifies important elements to include in culturally relevant programs to address diabetes-related wellness.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous
• scoping review
• traditional approaches
• type 2 diabetes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The research program is funded by CIHR (Canadian Institute of Health Research) and CHRIM (Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba). The student who worked on the project was awarded local funding through a program called PIKE-Net (Prarie Indigenous Knowledge Exchange Program).