The Notah Begay III Foundation (NB3 Foundation) undertook a project in 2012 that focused on researching the issue of obesity and type 2 diabetes in Native-American children in New Mexico.
With epidemic rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes affecting Native-American communities nationally, this may be the first generation of Native-American children that lives shorters, sicker lives than their parents’ generation. American Indians make up 10.5 percent of the population in New Mexico, and they face dramatic health and educational disparities within the state. This makes New Mexico ground zero for addressing childhood obesity and diabetes among Native-American children.