Indians, Alaska Natives, in poorer health

ATLANTA, March 11 (UPI) -- Compared with other groups, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native adults are more likely to have poorer health, U.S. health officials said.

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics compared national estimates for selected health status indicators, health behaviors, healthcare utilization, health conditions, immunizations and human immunodeficiency virus testing status for American Indian or Alaska Native adults with those for white, black, Asian, and Hispanic adults age 18 and older.

Compared with other groups, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native adults are more likely to have poorer health, unmet medical needs due to cost, diabetes, trouble hearing and activity limitations, and to have experienced feelings of psychological distress in the past 30 days. Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native adults are more likely to be current smokers and current drinkers compared with other adults.

The non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native community faces many health challenges as reflected in their higher rates of risky health behaviors, poorer health status and health conditions and lower utilization of health services, the report concluded.