Diabetes among the Pima: Stories of Survival [Hardcover]

Carolyn Smith-Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 5, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0816525536 | ISBN-13: 978-0816525539

For the past forty years, the Pima Indians living in the Gila River Indian Community have been among the most consistently studied diabetic populations in the world. But despite many medical advances, the epidemic is continuing and prevalence rates are increasing. Diabetes among the Pima is the first in-depth ethnographic volume to delve into the entire spectrum of causes, perspectives, and conditions that underlie the occurrence of diabetes in this community. Drawing on the narratives of pregnant Pima women and nearly ten years’ work in this community, this book reveals the Pimas’ perceptions and understanding of type 2 and gestational diabetes, and their experience as they live in the midst of a health crisis. Arguing that the prenatal period could offer the best hope for curbing this epidemic, Smith-Morris investigates many core values informing the Pimas’ experience of diabetes: motherhood, foodways, ethnic identity, exercise, attitude toward health care, and a willingness to seek care. Smith-Morris contrasts gripping first-person narratives with analyses of several political, economic, and biomedical factors that influence diabetes among the Pimas. She also integrates major theoretical explanations for the disease and illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of intervention strategies and treatment. An important contribution to the ongoing struggle to understand and prevent diabetes, this volume will be of special interest to experts in the fields of epidemiology, genetics, public health, and anthropology.

Click here for a Facilitator's Guide to Diabetes among the Pima

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

For the past forty years, the Pima Indians living in the Gila River Indian Community have been among the most consistently studied diabetic populations in the world. But despite many medical advances, the epidemic is continuing and prevalence rates are increasing. Diabetes among the Pima is the first in-depth ethnographic volume to delve into the entire spectrum of causes, perspectives, and conditions that underlie the occurrence of diabetes in this community. Drawing on the narratives of pregnant Pima women and nearly ten years’ work in this community, this book reveals the Pimas’ perceptions and understanding of type 2 and gestational diabetes, and their experience as they live in the midst of a health crisis. Arguing that the prenatal period could offer the best hope for curbing this epidemic, Smith-Morris investigates many core values informing the Pimas’ experience of diabetes: motherhood, foodways, ethnic identity, exercise, attitude toward health care, and a willingness to seek care. Smith-Morris contrasts gripping first-person narratives with analyses of several political, economic, and biomedical factors that influence diabetes among the Pimas. She also integrates major theoretical explanations for the disease and illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of intervention strategies and treatment. An important contribution to the ongoing struggle to understand and prevent diabetes, this volume will be of special interest to experts in the fields of epidemiology, genetics, public health, and anthropology.

Click here for a Facilitator's Guide to Diabetes among the Pima

About the Author

Carolyn Smith-Morris is an assistant professor of anthropology at Southern Methodist University. Her ethnographic work addresses chronic disease and the health impacts of culture change on native and developing communities.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press (October 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816525536
• ISBN-13: 978-0816525539
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #913,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book on Pima Attitudes Toward Modern Medicine, December 17, 2009

By 

Kari A. Carlisle - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diabetes among the Pima: Stories of Survival (Paperback)

As an anthropologist interested in traditional diets and health, I found Diabetes Among the Pima to be an excellent book on Pima attitudes toward modern, allopathic medicine. Dr. Smith-Morris does a great job of connecting with her subjects to draw out how the Pima understand diabetes, nutrition and healthcare.

Mothers who eat nutrient-dense foods prior to and during gestation will have a greater chance of avoiding gestational diabetes, and in turn their offspring will less likely inherit the propensity for developing diabetes mellitus during their lifetime. Dr. Smith-Morris touches on this, though I would have liked to have read more on the Pima traditional diet and efforts to reintroduce nutrient-dense foods as part of the plan to reduce the effect of diabetes.

5.0 out of 5 stars A 'must' for any college-level Native American collection., December 12, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diabetes among the Pima: Stories of Survival (Hardcover)

DIABETES AMONG THE PIMA: STORIES OF SURVIVAL could've been featured in our Health Section, but is reviewed here for its narrowed focus on Native health and health care in this country. While the Pima community receives the primary focus, DIABETES AMONG THE PIMA offering the first in-depth ethnographic analysis of all causes of diabetes in this community, the book holds wider recommendation for examining Pima core values, health attitudes, and attitudes toward treatment, making it a 'must' for any college-level Native American collection.

Diane C. Donovan

California Bookwatch