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Prevalence of Obesity and Diabetes for American Indian Children on the Northern Great Plains

Valborg L Kvigne1, Chad Birger2, Jared Eagle3

  • 1Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Pediatrics
|April 20, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Obesity and prediabetes are alarmingly high in American Indian children on the Northern Great Plains. Rates exceed 2015 levels, indicating a growing diabetes burden that requires urgent intervention.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • In 2015, American Indian/Alaska Native children aged 2-19 had a 29.7% obesity rate.
  • This study evaluates obesity, prediabetes, and diabetes in American Indian children on a Northern Great Plains reservation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the prevalence of obesity, prediabetes, and diabetes in American Indian children.
  • To track changes in these health indicators over a four-year period.

Main Methods:

  • Screened American Indian students (K-11) for height, weight, BMI percentiles, and HbA1c levels (2019-2023).
  • Utilized chi-squared tests to analyze differences in BMI, HbA1c, sex, and temporal changes.

Main Results:

  • Obesity (overweight or class I-III) affected 60.9%–68.6% of students.
  • Prediabetes was present in all age groups (5-17 years).
  • The prevalence of HbA1c levels indicative of prediabetes (5.7%-6.4%) significantly increased from 4.7% to 9.9% (P=.001).

Conclusions:

  • Obesity rates in this cohort surpass 2015 figures.
  • Rising prediabetes rates signal a potential increase in diabetes incidence and prevalence.
  • Urgent interventions are necessary to mitigate the escalating disease burden.
Abstract

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