Native Americans lag in health

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- American Indians and Alaska natives still have more illnesses and early deaths from injuries compared to whites, says an official of the Indian Health Service.

Poverty and associated problems, including alcoholism and little access to medical care, contribute to the lingering health disparities between white America and the nation's native peoples, W. Craig Vanderwagen, acting chief medical officer for the federal Indian Health Service said Thursday.

Native Americans suffer a poverty rate of 26 percent twice the national rate.

"We're seeing the increasing impact of behaviors that affect health," Vanderwagen told USA Today. He cited increasing obesity, high alcoholism levels, the rise of youth gangs and the loss of cultural identity among young people.

Improvements in sanitation, control of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and the lowering of infant and maternal mortality rates have extended the lifespan of Native Americans from 51 years in 1940 to 71 in 1995, Vanderwagen says. But solving those problems has exposed other health issues that may be tougher to tackle.