 MEZCOPH Associate Professor and FCH Section Chair Nicolette Teufel-Shone and her colleagues with the Hualapai Tribe's Healthy Heart Program, a community-based cardiovascular risk reduction program, were awarded the 2007 Local Impact Award by the National Indian Health Board. The 2007 Local Impact Award highlights Dr. Teufel-Shone’s work and collaboration in the area of community-based health promotion, primarily with Native populations.
 In two recent publications, Dr. Teufel-Shone addresses the importance of community-based work in : 1) American Indian health promotion programs and 2) The influences of Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) on Native youth wellness.
In the article Promising Strategies for Obesity Prevention and Treatment Within American Indian Communities, Dr. Teufel-Shone conducted a non-systematic review of American Indian health promotion programs. She noted that tribal programs have created an awareness of obesity and other chronic-related diseases as being community problems.
Trial health promotion programs encourage and include a group-focused approach using strategies such as reinforcement of social cohesion, friendly competition, high visibility of alternative behaviors, and engagement of formal and informal leaders. Although evidence of the impact of these efforts is limited, the programs demonstrate tribal members’ involvement in creating solutions to growing health problems. In addition, such community participation empowers members to change cultural norms and social policies. Dr. Teufel-Shone challenges non-Native health promotion programs to consider including aspects such as social support, collective efficacy and friendly competition to affect health behavior change and make a real difference in the community.
In research done with the Hualapai tribe, Dr. Teufel-Shone and colleagues from the Hualapai Tribal Health Department used CBPR to assess the socio-cultural context of youth wellness and community perception of local youth programs. The research was the initial phase of a primary prevention-intervention program being developed to reduce chronic disease risk in local elementary school children. Community members guided the selection of data collection methods, emphasizing the importance of public and private forums, including open-ended interviews, the CDC School Health Index (SHI), and a locally generated resource inventory. Family involvement and personal goal setting were identified as key to youth wellness. In addition, those interviewed acknowledged that supportive youth programs included features such as adult leadership, structured activities, and a positive local image. Dr. Teufel-Shone’s research again demonstrates that CBPR is promising for indigenous communities because it emphasizes the importance of engaging the community and incorporating cultural knowledge at all phases of the research.
Additional Information:
- Read Associate Prof. Teufel-Shone's technical publication entitled, "Community-Based Participatory Research: Conducting a Formative Assessment of Factors that Influence Youth Wellness in the Hualapai Community."
- 2006 journal article by Associate Prof. Teufel-Shone in the Journal of Transcultural Nursing: "Promising Strategies for Obesity Prevention and Treatment Within American Indian Communities"
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