Unintentional injury mortality among American Indians and Alaska natives in the United States, 1990û2009

T. Murphy, P. Pokhrel, A. Worthington, H. Billie, M. Sewell and N. Bill

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue S3, S470-S480

Abstract: Objectives. We describe the burden of unintentional injury (UI) deaths among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations in the United States. Methods. National Death Index records for 1990 to 2009 were linked with Indian Health Service registration records to identify AI/AN deaths misclassified as non-AI/AN deaths. Most analyses were restricted to Contract Health Service Delivery Area counties in 6 geographic regions of the United States. We compared age-adjusted death rates for AI/AN persons with those for Whites; Hispanics were excluded. Results. From 2005 to 2009, the UI death rate for AI/AN people was 2.4 times higher than for Whites. Death rates for the 3 leading causes of UI death-motor vehicle traffic crashes, poisoning, and falls-were 1.4 to 3 times higher among AI/AN persons than among Whites. UI death rates were higher among AI/AN males than among females and highest among AI/AN persons in Alaska, the Northern Plains, and the Southwest. Conclusions. AI/ANpersonshadconsistently higherUIdeathrates thandidWhites. This disparity in overall rates coupledwith recent increases in unintentional poisoning deaths requires that injury prevention be a major priority for improving health and preventing death among AI/AN populations.

Keywords: adolescent; adult; aged; American Indian; article; Caucasian; cause of death; child; death certificate; ethnology; female; health survey; human; infant; injury; Inuit; male; middle aged; mortality; newborn; preschool child; register; statistics; United States; very elderly, Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alaska; Cause of Death; Child; Child, Preschool; Death Certificates; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; Humans; Indians, North American; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Inuits; Male; Middle Aged; Population Surveillance; Registries; United States; Wounds and Injuries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301854_7

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301854

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