Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, September 10, 2007 Tulalip heart study planned By Krista J. Kapralos Herald Writer TULALIP -- Health officials at the Tulalip Tribes have joined with the University of Washington in a five-year study of the cardiovascular health of tribal members. With a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Karina Walters, director of the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute at the University of Washington, hopes to find out how prevalent heart disease is among tribal members. "We already have some baseline rates, but we'll look more in-depth at everything from environmental features and geography for things that might be affecting health and wellness," Walters said. "This will be a comprehensive analysis." Walters said Tulalip tribal leaders asked her to develop a diabetes study on tribal members, but when a grant for cardiovascular health was awarded, the university decided to broaden the scope of the study. More than 70 percent of the university staff members working on the program are enrolled in American Indian tribes, Walters said. The program began a year ago, with the first year dedicated to developing the program. Next month, the team from the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute will begin its survey of tribal members to determine the prevalence of heart disease. They'll also look at the type of foods available within a convenient distance from the Tulalip Indian Reservation, and whether tribal members who practice traditional lifestyles experience lower rates of disease. From there, researchers will create a program for prevention and intervention of heart disease, Walters said. The program will most likely encourage a traditional diet of fish, meat and vegetables and include a training component on recreating an environment where those resources thrive. "At the end of five years, we hope to have a successful cardiovascular disease prevention program that could be used in other Northwest native communities," Walters said. By the numbers Heart disease is the No. 1 killer among American Indians, causing more than 25 percent of all deaths, according to the American Heart Association. Deaths caused by heart disease in Washington state are lower than the national average for every ethnicity except for American Indians, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Snohomish County, residents die of heart disease at a rate of 405 people per 100,000 deaths, but American Indians in Snohomish County die of heart disease at a rate of 482 people per 100,000 deaths. Only African Americans die of heart disease at a higher rate, at 483 people per 100,000 deaths.

1. Gay marriage issue can wait, say Referendum 71 partisans 2. Six injured, three critically, in wreck near Machias 3. Forecast for 2010 housing market: slow decline 4. First-time homebuyer credit invites tax cheats 5. That's Stud Muffin to you 6. Offensive line helps Marysville-Pilchuck rush into state playoffs 7. Glacier Peak freshman overcomes jitters to win state in cross country 8. Proud union member and veteran had a wild side 9. Snohomish County's former sanitation director claims his ouster was forced 10. More snow expected for Cascades, mountain passes 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Gough on track to keep job • Jazz vocalist headlines NPAC • Mountlake Terrace makes football history • Tax revenue sagging, city budgets lagging • ‘Touch of Magic' show opens at Gallery North • Jackson repeats as South champs • Holiday Bazaars Calendar • Meadowdale storms back to grab title • Edmonds moves to Fire District 1 • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million