N - Global Health Institute - University of Arizona

Dr. Ned Norris, Jr.
Chairman, Tohono O’odham
Nation
Welcome!
Welcome to Southern Arizona! The Tohono O’odham Nation is pleased to be a part of the New Frontiers
in Global Health Leadership inaugural forum on Building Strong Health Systems to Respond to Non-
Communicable Diseases.
The Tohono O’odham Nation is a federally recognized Tribe located in southwestern and central Arizona.
Tohono O’odham translates as “desert people” and our people have lived in the region since time
immemorial. We have a rich history and culture that continues to thrive today.
With approximately 30,000 members living both on and off the reservation and 2.8 million acres of
reservation lands divided into 11 distinct districts, our Nation has the second largest tribal land base in the
country. The size of our reservation and enrollment numbers also make us one of the largest tribes in the
southwest.
The Tohono O’odham Nation’s fight against diabetes
The Tohono O’odham Nation faces significant health care challenges, which have been exacerbated by a
lack of infrastructure and resources. The Nation suffers from one of the highest rates of adult onset diabetes
in the world. Approximately 50 percent of Tohono O’odham adults have adult-onset diabetes compared
with 4-6 percent of the overall U.S. population. Until 1960, virtually no members of the Nation had diabetes
because they ate a diet of traditional foods which helped prevent the disease. But with the introduction of
processed foods high in fat and calories, which supplanted the traditional diet, diabetes and obesity became
widespread.
Diabetes is a reality many O’odham children now face. During the 1990’s, an epidemic began to rise with
the onset of type-2 diabetes in children. Tohono O’odham children as young as seven years old were being
diagnosed as obese or diabetic. Currently, 76% of Tohono O’odham 6th-8th graders are overweight or
obese.
Traditionally, the Tohono O’odham were farmers harvesting food from the surrounding desert and living off
the land. Studies have shown that many traditional O’odham foods, such as tepary beans, cholla buds, and
wild spinach, have been historically associated with good health. These traditional foods can help with the
regulation of blood sugar and reduce the effects of diabetes.
Today, Tohono O’odham are being encouraged to return to a more traditional diet, through efforts that
promote both the health impacts and cultural value of traditional foods. The Nation is committed to
combating diabetes among the O’odham and to providing the best possible care and support for those
already grappling with the disease.
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