Medical Students' Perceptions of American Indian-Focused Educational Experiences.

Introduction: American Indians are burdened with a myriad of health disparities. As South Dakota's largest minority population, increasing medical students' experiences with the healthcare of American Indians can play a significant role in helping to alleviate American Indians' health disparities as these future physicians will be better able to predict, detect, and treat the health care needs of this population.

Methods: Survey data from 103 medical students at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine (SSOM) was collected and analyzed.

Obesity and metabolic disease.

Obesity independently increases the risk of developing diabetes 10-fold compared with that for patients who are normal weight. Overweight patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) should be given counseling on weight loss of 5% to 10% of body weight as well as on increasing physical activity to at least 150 min/wk to prevent progression to diabetes. American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends screening patients older than 45 years with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25 for diabetes with fasting glucose every 3 years.