# Promoting Linguistic and Cultural Identity through Bilingual Children's Stories to Address Nutrition and Health in Indigenous Communities

> **NIH NIH R44** · TRANSCENDENT INTERNATIONAL, LLC · 2022 · $292,201

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Children from American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) backgrounds in the United States experience
disproportionate health disparities, including high rates of diabetes, obesity, and dental caries, when compared to
all other groups. The historial nutrition transition from a traditional diet to a more contemporary diet that is high in
saturated fats, cholesterol, and sodium presents a unique factor that has contributed to the lower health status of
these communities. However, not only do indigenous youth experience significant health challenges, but they also
face socio-cultural barriers in school and community settings that undermine the importance of their Native
identity. A growing body of research suggests that youth empowerment through Native language and culture
identity development, and community validation of the indigenous knowledge system, can result in improved
health outcomes.
Using a community engagement framework, this project will develop a platform for the creation, distribution, and
consumption of Native-authored, bilingual resources for indigenous families related to health, nutrition, and
traditional foods. The result will be a library of dynamic, bilingual children’s ebooks in Native American languages
and English, with accompanying interactive activities to promote parent-child dialog and co-reading. We will
work with indigenous community-based organizations to build customized implementation toolkits and evaluate
the effectiveness of using these resources over a multi-month mixed-methods pilot study. In line with the
emerging evidence positing that linguistic and cultural engagement is associated with improved health, we will
evaluate the extent to which the level of engagement with the books and activities will be associated with (1)
increased connection to one’s linguistic and cultural identity; (2) elevated positive attitudes toward healthy
eating; and (3) higher frequency of pro-health behaviors such as making healthier food choices.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10484677
- **Project number:** 1R44MD017552-01
- **Recipient organization:** TRANSCENDENT INTERNATIONAL, LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Katherine Riestenberg
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $292,201
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10484677

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10484677, Promoting Linguistic and Cultural Identity through Bilingual Children's Stories to Address Nutrition and Health in Indigenous Communities (1R44MD017552-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10484677. Licensed CC0.

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