Native Americans and their health issues

Health of Native Americans

The Health Issues of Native Americans

Native Americans -- as a minority cultural group with many subcultures -- have a bleak history in the United States. They have a history of being ignored, or being persecuted, or indeed relegated to poverty status over the last few hundred years. The data available also shows that Native Americans suffer from poor health in many aspects of their lives.

According to Indian Health Services, American Indians and Alaska Natives "have long experienced lower health status" when they are compared with other cultures in the U.S. In fact, Native Americans and Alaska Natives have a life expectancy that is 2.4 years less than all other ethnic groups in the U.S. (74.5 years for Native Peoples vs. 76.9 years for all other groups averaged out) (Indian Health Services data).

Tuberculosis is a problem for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, according to the Indian Health Services information; in fact, Native Peoples die at a rate that is 600% higher than other Americans when it comes to tuberculosis; Native Peoples die at a rate 510% higher than other Americans when it comes to alcoholism; as to motor vehicle crashes, Native Peoples rate of death is 229% higher; the rate for Native Peoples is 189% higher for diabetes; Native Peoples have a rate of death from homicide that is 62% higher than others; and as for suicide, the rate for Native Peoples is also 62% higher than for other Americans (Indian Health Services Data).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) lists the population of Native Americans at 3.2 million, with about 60 births per 1,000 women and a percentage of births with low birth weight at 7.4%. Fourteen percent of Native Peoples of all ages are in poor health, the CDCP reports, and fifteen percent of all Native Peoples suffer from a limitation of their normal activities due to "one or more chronic health conditions" (CDCP). The CDCP reports that only thirty nine percent of Native Peoples under the age of 65 have health insurance; and eighteen percent of adults 18 years of age and older have no access to health care at all.

As to the availability of safe and clean water supplies, and safe waste disposal facilities, Native Peoples are again on the short end of the stick. About twelve percent of Native People do not have adequate supplies of fresh drinking water and dependable waste facilities while only one percent of the general American population do not have those needed facilities (Indian Health Services).

The U.S. Commission on Civil rights reports that the rates Native Americans are dying resulting from diabetes, alcoholism, suicide, unintentional injuries and other health conditions is "shocking" (www.USCCR.gov). Going back to the arrival of the Europeans on the North American Continent, many diseases were brought to the Native Peoples which were "far more lethal than any weapon in the European arsenal" so anyone even preliminarily examining the health care history of Native Peoples can clearly see that this dilemma has been a plague for Indians (www.USCCR.gov). The infectious diseases, which include measles, smallpox, and plague, "annihilated entire communities even before they had seen a single European" (Encarta).