Affiliation:
1. The Center for Global Health and Health Policy, Global Health and Education Projects, Inc., Riverdale, MD, United States
2. Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs, John McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, United States
3. Institute on Health Care Systems, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, United States
4. Independent Researcher, Rockville, MD, United States
Abstract
Background and Objective
Limited research exists on health inequities between American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs), tribal communities, and other population groups in the United States. To address this gap in research, we conducted time-trend analyses of social determinants of health and disease outcomes for AIANs as a whole and specific tribal communities and compared them with those from the other major racial/ethnic groups.
Methods
We used data from the 1990–2022 National Vital Statistics System, 2015–2022 American Community Survey, and the 2018–2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine socioeconomic, health, disability, disease, and mortality patterns for AIANs.
Results
In 2021, life expectancy at birth was 70.6 years for AIANs, lower than that for Asian/Pacific Islanders (APIs) (84.1), Hispanics (78.8), and non-Hispanic Whites (76.3). All racial/ethnic groups experienced a decline in life expectancy between the pre-pandemic year of 2019 and the peak pandemic year of 2021. However, the impact of COVID-19 was the greatest for AIANs and Blacks whose life expectancy decreased by 6.3 and 5.8 years, respectively. The infant mortality rate for AIANs was 8.5 per 1,000 live births, 78% higher than the rate for non-Hispanic Whites. One in five AIANs assessed their physical and mental health as poor, at twice the rate of non-Hispanic Whites or the general population. COVID-19 was the leading cause of death among AIANs in 2021. Risks of mortality from alcohol-related problems, drug overdose, unintentional injuries, and homicide were higher among AIANs than the general population. AIANs had the highest overall disability, mental and ambulatory disability, health uninsurance, unemployment, and poverty rates, with differences in these indicators varying markedly across the AIAN tribes.
Conclusion and Global Health Implications
AIANs remain a disadvantaged racial/ethnic group in the US in many health and socioeconomic indicators, with poverty rates in many Native American tribal groups and reservations exceeding 40%.