Modern social statistics of Native Americans
Encyclopedia
Modern social statistics of Native Americans serve as defining characteristics of Native American life, and can be compared to the average United States citizens’ social statistics. Areas from their demographics and economy to health standards, drug and alcohol use, and land use and ownership all lead to a better understanding of Native American life. Health standards for Native Americans have notable disparities from that of all United States racial and ethnic groups. They have higher rates of disease, higher death rates, and a lack of medical coverage. These health issues are matched by illegal drug abuse; abuse levels are higher than any other demographic group in the United States. Methamphetamine abuse on reservations is a particular area of concern for tribal and federal governments. Concerning their land, Native Americans lost more than 97.7 percent of their land over the course of the American conquest. The signing of treaties, relocation, and, epidemics accelerated the decrease of Native American population as well as land.
At the present time there are 564 federally recognized tribes. The population of Native Americans however extends beyond those with this federal recognition. Certain tribes have much larger population bases than others. The United States Census has documented 1.93 million individuals that are purely Native American or Alaskan Native with specified tribes. The tribe with the largest population base, for 2008, was the tribe of Navajo people
with 307,555 individuals. The Cherokee
tribe had the second largest population, with 262,224 individuals. Follow in third and fourth are the Sioux
tribe and Chippewa tribe with 114,047 individuals and 107,322 individuals, respectively. The remainder of the Native American tribes have populations below one hundred thousand. This does not account for those who do not have specified tribes or are of multiple races.
The distribution of age of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives differs from the general population of the United States, according to 2008 Census data. Of those who are strictly Native American or Alaskan Native, 28.3% are below the age of 18. 64.3% are between 18 and 64 years of age, while the remaining 7.4% are 65 years of age and older. This is a notably younger population than the overall population. The median age of Native Americans and Alaskan Native is 31.2, while the male median age is 30.0 and female median age is 32.8.
Native Americans and Alaskan Natives also differ in their household
composition. Of the 795,764 documented households 68.5% are family households with the remaining 31.5% nonfamily households. The 545,403 family households are divided between married-couple families, male-headed households, and female-headed households. Over half, 58,9% specifically, are married-couple families. Male-headed households are 10.8% of family households, while female-headed households are 30.3% of family households. Alternatively, nonfamily households are constituted of those living alone and householders living with nonfamily. Of the 250,361 nonfamily households, 80.0% are living alone and 20.0% are nonfamily not living alone.
However, Indian tribes are becoming more economically independent in recent years. [The impact of Indian gaming] has been monumental, but non-gaming tribes have growing economies as well. For example, the Mississippi Choctaw Indians have incorporated industry into their economy. Automobile subassembly and plastic manufacturing are only two of the sectors in which the tribe is involved. Factories seem to contradict Indian culture, but ironically, industry helps culture thrive. By embracing industry, the Choctaw have been able to build a stable enough economy to prevent people from leaving the reservation and encourage people to come back, according to Chief Phillip Martin. Life on the tribe is more appealing because it is more secure. Jobs are readily available, and the tribe has revitalized public health, housing, and education. Past federal policies have continually been detrimental to tribal economies, but self-determination
has provided tribes with the independence and sovereignty to combat a history of poverty.
According to the US Census, real per capita income has grown substantially in past decades. In 1970, the average real per capita income among Reservation Indians was $4,347. This figure grew to $6,510 in 1980, dipped to $5,959 in 1990, and grew again to $7,942 in 2000. However, the overall statistic for the United States has also steadily grown over this span of time. The total US real per capita was $13,188 in 1970 and $21,587. While economy on Reservations has improved, it is still significantly lower than that of the United States. The tribe with the lowest per capita income on a non-gaming Reservation is the Crow Creek Reservation
in South Dakota with $4,043, but it also has a very low population (1,846). The tribe with the highest per capita income on a non-gaming Reservation is the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation in New York. With a population of 2,581, it averages $12,016 per year. The least successful gaming Reservation has a higher per capita income than the Crow Creek Reservation: The Texas Kickapoo Reservation, population of 423, has an average of $3,398. The most successful gaming tribe is the Viejas
Reservation in California; its population is 232 and averages $28,128 per capita income. Therefore, population is insignificant when determining economic success. A better measure is geographic location.
Further breakdown of poverty rates show that Native Americans are consistently the highest among each race. Reservation Indians have a 39% poverty rate; Non-Reservations, 26%; Black
, 25%, Hispanic/Latino, 23%, Pacific Islander
, 18%, Asian
, 13%; and White
, 9%.
Native Americans live in a variety of different locations, from reservations and rural areas to major urban centers. Reservations administered by the United States constitute about 56200000 acres (227,433.5 km²) of land. This is broken into about 326 areas, ranging greatly in size from millions of acres to slightly over 1 acres (4,046.9 m²). In addition to these federal reservations, there are allotted lands, lands under restricted status, and state Indian reservations. Native Americans also can own land as private property. Those living on private property include Native Americans who live in cities or urban centers. This segment of the Native American population continues to increase, which in the later 1900s nearly doubled each decade. The specific places with the largest Native American populations is the Los Angeles-Long Beach area followed by New York City, each home to over 50,000 American Indians. Other large concentrations of urban Native Americans include Phoenix, Arizona and Anchorage, Alaska.
Native American tribes have received much need attention from the medical field due to the increasing infant mortality rate among their people, as the nation sees this demographic overall on the decline. The infant mortality rate of American Indians and Native Alaskans is 8.6 for every 1,000 live births. This is greater than the average infant mortality rate of all ages of 6.9, all measured in 2005. Native American infants suffer from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
at double the rate of their white counterparts. For congenital malformations and low birth weight, Native Americans infants suffer at a ratio of 1.3 to non-Hispanic whites. Low birth weight in was observed in 7.3% of births in 2005. Also notable is the fact that as the age of the birth mother increases, the ratio of Native American infant mortality to non-Hispanic white infant mortality increases.
In 2005, Native Americans recorded 14,037 deaths. This translates to 438.5 deaths per 100,000 individuals. Within the United States, Native American men have been found to be dying at the fastest rate of all people. The life expectancy
of a Native American man is 71 years, six below the expectancy of a white male in the United States. Women fare at a similar level, with their death rate growing 20% over fifteen years of national decline. The leading causes of death among Native Americans (American Indians and Alaskan Natives) are heart disease, cancer and unintentional injury. The rate of suicide is also a significant concern, as it is above the national average.
Native Americans also face a disproportional share of certain diseases. Native American disease and epidemics
oftentimes leads individuals to think of alcoholism on tribal lands and surrounding areas. Many other diseases, such as diabetes, have a prominent presence among Native Americans. Native American children, in 2006, received "the recommended doses of vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, Hib, polio, and chicken pox at the same rate as non-Hispanic White children." Out of the Native American/ Native Alaskan single race population, about 16.8% of individuals have a disability
. The majority of those with disabilities are in the 18-64 year old age range, though this is also the largest demographic. For those age 18 and under, about 6% have a disability. About 17.9% of those American Indian and Alaska Natives ages 18 to 64 have a disability. Disabilities are far more prevalent in the eldest age range, 65 years and older, but this is a normal trend due to aging and the demographics which diseases effect. Native Americans also have high rates of mental health challenges. For instance, "Native Americans report themselves as under "frequent mental stress" 20 percent more than other populations."
There are many other health behaviors that are present in different rates in the Native American demographic. Out of all races and ethnic groups, Native Americans have the highest rate of smoking
. As of 2008, about 32.2% of Native American adults smoked. This is in contrast to a rate of 21.8% for white adults. The high prevalence of smoking is also present in the Native American youth, as 23.1% of the youth smoke. Additionally, Native Americans had the highest rate of smoking during pregnancy
, at 17.8%. Smoking itself plays into Native American culture, therefore it is a challenging health concern. Other health behaviors that contribute to the current health status include the high rates of obesity and generally low rates of physical activity.
Studies frequently note “a frequency of poor health and limited health care options” for Native Americans in the United States. Insurance
coverage is held by the majority of Native Americans, but 33% of American Indians and Alaska Natives do not possess health insurance. About 36% did have private health insurance to cover their medical care, while 24% relied on Medicaid provided through the federal government. In addition to these services available to all Americans, the need for health care for Native Americans has been addressed by the national government. Currently there is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called the Indian Health Service
. The IHS serves to provide health care services and administer various medical programs. Although this service serves many Native Americans, health care is still lacking for the masses. 33% of Native Americans reportedly did not have health insurance in 2007.
rates are higher than the national average in some tribes. Among tribes in Alaska, the rate of fetal alcohol syndrome, 5.6 every 1,000 births, is nearly three times higher than non-Indians' rate, 1.5 every 1,000 births. Overall, 11.7% of Native American and Alaskan Native deaths are alcohol-related, which includes traffic accidents, alcoholic liver disease, homicide, suicide, and falls.
Native Americans are more likely than other ethnic groups to report past year illicit drug abuse. Mexican drug-trafficking organizations are the main suppliers of illegal substances to reservations in Indian Country and presumed growers of marijuana on reservations. Drug-trafficking organizations run by African-American, Asian, and Native American gangs and criminal groups also smuggle and supply on-reservation drug retailers with inventories of marijuana, ice methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. The most commonly abused drug on reservations is marijuana because of its ready availability. The number of Native Americans seeking help for marijuana addiction increased from 1,119 to 2,147 from 2003 to 2007. It is a potentially alarming statistic in the face of declining rates of reported marijuana use among 12-17 and 18-25 year-olds nationwide. There is significant correlation between Methamphetamine and native americans
.
General demographics
Native American population demographics are studied by the federal government in conjunction with the Native Alaskan population. According to 2008 US Census projections, those who are Native American and Alaska Natives alone number 3.08 million of the total US population of 304 million, or 1.01 percent of the nation's entire population. Those who are Native American alone or in combination with other races measure as 4.86 million individuals, or 1.60 percent of the nation's entire population. The Native population continues to grow yearly. The Census Bureau projects that American Indian and Alaska Natives will reach 5 million individuals by 2065.At the present time there are 564 federally recognized tribes. The population of Native Americans however extends beyond those with this federal recognition. Certain tribes have much larger population bases than others. The United States Census has documented 1.93 million individuals that are purely Native American or Alaskan Native with specified tribes. The tribe with the largest population base, for 2008, was the tribe of Navajo people
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
with 307,555 individuals. The Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
tribe had the second largest population, with 262,224 individuals. Follow in third and fourth are the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
tribe and Chippewa tribe with 114,047 individuals and 107,322 individuals, respectively. The remainder of the Native American tribes have populations below one hundred thousand. This does not account for those who do not have specified tribes or are of multiple races.
The distribution of age of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives differs from the general population of the United States, according to 2008 Census data. Of those who are strictly Native American or Alaskan Native, 28.3% are below the age of 18. 64.3% are between 18 and 64 years of age, while the remaining 7.4% are 65 years of age and older. This is a notably younger population than the overall population. The median age of Native Americans and Alaskan Native is 31.2, while the male median age is 30.0 and female median age is 32.8.
Native Americans and Alaskan Natives also differ in their household
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
composition. Of the 795,764 documented households 68.5% are family households with the remaining 31.5% nonfamily households. The 545,403 family households are divided between married-couple families, male-headed households, and female-headed households. Over half, 58,9% specifically, are married-couple families. Male-headed households are 10.8% of family households, while female-headed households are 30.3% of family households. Alternatively, nonfamily households are constituted of those living alone and householders living with nonfamily. Of the 250,361 nonfamily households, 80.0% are living alone and 20.0% are nonfamily not living alone.
Economy and social status
The United States is home to 2.4 million Native Americans. In comparison to the rest of the population, this number is a very small amount (only .9%). American Indians have historically lived in extreme poverty. With the rise of Indian gaming enterprises, the problem of poverty seems to have disappeared. However, upon closer examination, we have found that this is not the case. While Native Americans have begun to take more control of their tribal economies and have begun to improve situations, poverty on Indian Reservations is still a major issue. The U.S. Census in both 1990 and 2000 indicates that poverty has prevailed on reservations: to this day, Native Americans have the highest poverty and unemployment rates in the United States of America. The poverty rate of Native Americans is 25%. Incomes of Native Americans tend to be low, and unemployment rates are usually high. For example, the unemployment rate today on the Blackfoot Reservation in Montana is 69%. This is a shocking comparison to the national unemployment rate today, 9.8% (US Bureau of Labor) or even during the worst part of the Great Depression, 25%. According to the 2000 Census, Indians living in Indian country have incomes that are less than half of the general U.S. population. The US Census reports that the median income of households based on a three year average from 2003-2005 was $33,627. In 1989, the median income of Native American households was $19,900. Average income varies by tribe and can range from $29,211 (Osage) to a mere $11,402 (Tohono O’Odham). Over 20% of Native American reservation households make less than $5,000 annually while only 6% of the overall US population has an annual income of less than $5,000. The average Native American family (3.41) is larger than the national average, yet only 30% have health insurance.However, Indian tribes are becoming more economically independent in recent years. [The impact of Indian gaming] has been monumental, but non-gaming tribes have growing economies as well. For example, the Mississippi Choctaw Indians have incorporated industry into their economy. Automobile subassembly and plastic manufacturing are only two of the sectors in which the tribe is involved. Factories seem to contradict Indian culture, but ironically, industry helps culture thrive. By embracing industry, the Choctaw have been able to build a stable enough economy to prevent people from leaving the reservation and encourage people to come back, according to Chief Phillip Martin. Life on the tribe is more appealing because it is more secure. Jobs are readily available, and the tribe has revitalized public health, housing, and education. Past federal policies have continually been detrimental to tribal economies, but self-determination
Self-determination
Self-determination is the principle in international law that nations have the right to freely choose their sovereignty and international political status with no external compulsion or external interference...
has provided tribes with the independence and sovereignty to combat a history of poverty.
According to the US Census, real per capita income has grown substantially in past decades. In 1970, the average real per capita income among Reservation Indians was $4,347. This figure grew to $6,510 in 1980, dipped to $5,959 in 1990, and grew again to $7,942 in 2000. However, the overall statistic for the United States has also steadily grown over this span of time. The total US real per capita was $13,188 in 1970 and $21,587. While economy on Reservations has improved, it is still significantly lower than that of the United States. The tribe with the lowest per capita income on a non-gaming Reservation is the Crow Creek Reservation
Crow Creek Reservation
The Crow Creek Indian Reservation is located in parts of Buffalo, Hughes, and Hyde counties on the east bank of the Missouri River in central South Dakota in the United States. It has a land area of 421.658 sq mi and a 2000 census population of 2,225 persons...
in South Dakota with $4,043, but it also has a very low population (1,846). The tribe with the highest per capita income on a non-gaming Reservation is the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation in New York. With a population of 2,581, it averages $12,016 per year. The least successful gaming Reservation has a higher per capita income than the Crow Creek Reservation: The Texas Kickapoo Reservation, population of 423, has an average of $3,398. The most successful gaming tribe is the Viejas
Viejas
Viejas is a San Diego area casino, and outlet center owned by the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians. The casino houses 2,200 slot machines, up to 86 table games, four restaurants, a deli, bingo, an off-track betting facility, lounge, concert venues and a poker room...
Reservation in California; its population is 232 and averages $28,128 per capita income. Therefore, population is insignificant when determining economic success. A better measure is geographic location.
Further breakdown of poverty rates show that Native Americans are consistently the highest among each race. Reservation Indians have a 39% poverty rate; Non-Reservations, 26%; Black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
, 25%, Hispanic/Latino, 23%, Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
, 18%, Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
, 13%; and White
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
, 9%.
Location and lands
The Native American population is not evenly spread across the nation. The majority of Native Americans live in the western regions of the United States, specifically 43%. The remainder of the Native population lives in the south, 31%, the midwest, 17%, and the northeast, 9%. This statistics demonstrates how the Native American population is concentrated into few general areas. This is further proven by the fact that over half of Native Americans live within ten states. In 2000, the states with the largest Native American populations were California, Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico. Twenty-one states have Native American populations which constitute less than 1% over their overall population, including states such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey and West Virginia.Native Americans live in a variety of different locations, from reservations and rural areas to major urban centers. Reservations administered by the United States constitute about 56200000 acres (227,433.5 km²) of land. This is broken into about 326 areas, ranging greatly in size from millions of acres to slightly over 1 acres (4,046.9 m²). In addition to these federal reservations, there are allotted lands, lands under restricted status, and state Indian reservations. Native Americans also can own land as private property. Those living on private property include Native Americans who live in cities or urban centers. This segment of the Native American population continues to increase, which in the later 1900s nearly doubled each decade. The specific places with the largest Native American populations is the Los Angeles-Long Beach area followed by New York City, each home to over 50,000 American Indians. Other large concentrations of urban Native Americans include Phoenix, Arizona and Anchorage, Alaska.
Health standards
Native Americans require medical care and have health concerns similar to many other United States demographics. From all ages of American Indians or Alaska Natives, approximately 12% were found to be in fair or poor health in 2005. There are known health disparities between the Native American population and the rest of the United States. Reasons for these health disparities include "cultural barriers, geographic isolation, inadequate sewage disposal, and economic factors." However, there are many indicators that the health status of Native Americans has greatly improved in the previous decades.Native American tribes have received much need attention from the medical field due to the increasing infant mortality rate among their people, as the nation sees this demographic overall on the decline. The infant mortality rate of American Indians and Native Alaskans is 8.6 for every 1,000 live births. This is greater than the average infant mortality rate of all ages of 6.9, all measured in 2005. Native American infants suffer from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome
Sudden infant death syndrome is marked by the sudden death of an infant that is unexpected by medical history, and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and a detailed death scene investigation. An infant is at the highest risk for SIDS during sleep, which is why it is sometimes...
at double the rate of their white counterparts. For congenital malformations and low birth weight, Native Americans infants suffer at a ratio of 1.3 to non-Hispanic whites. Low birth weight in was observed in 7.3% of births in 2005. Also notable is the fact that as the age of the birth mother increases, the ratio of Native American infant mortality to non-Hispanic white infant mortality increases.
In 2005, Native Americans recorded 14,037 deaths. This translates to 438.5 deaths per 100,000 individuals. Within the United States, Native American men have been found to be dying at the fastest rate of all people. The life expectancy
Life expectancy
Life expectancy is the expected number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by ex, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now aged x, according to a particular mortality experience...
of a Native American man is 71 years, six below the expectancy of a white male in the United States. Women fare at a similar level, with their death rate growing 20% over fifteen years of national decline. The leading causes of death among Native Americans (American Indians and Alaskan Natives) are heart disease, cancer and unintentional injury. The rate of suicide is also a significant concern, as it is above the national average.
Native Americans also face a disproportional share of certain diseases. Native American disease and epidemics
Native American disease and epidemics
Native American disease and epidemics pervade many aspects of Native American life, both throughout history and in the modern day. Diseases and epidemics can be chronicled from centuries ago when European settlers brought diseases that devastated entire tribes to the modern day when Native...
oftentimes leads individuals to think of alcoholism on tribal lands and surrounding areas. Many other diseases, such as diabetes, have a prominent presence among Native Americans. Native American children, in 2006, received "the recommended doses of vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, Hib, polio, and chicken pox at the same rate as non-Hispanic White children." Out of the Native American/ Native Alaskan single race population, about 16.8% of individuals have a disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
. The majority of those with disabilities are in the 18-64 year old age range, though this is also the largest demographic. For those age 18 and under, about 6% have a disability. About 17.9% of those American Indian and Alaska Natives ages 18 to 64 have a disability. Disabilities are far more prevalent in the eldest age range, 65 years and older, but this is a normal trend due to aging and the demographics which diseases effect. Native Americans also have high rates of mental health challenges. For instance, "Native Americans report themselves as under "frequent mental stress" 20 percent more than other populations."
There are many other health behaviors that are present in different rates in the Native American demographic. Out of all races and ethnic groups, Native Americans have the highest rate of smoking
Smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
. As of 2008, about 32.2% of Native American adults smoked. This is in contrast to a rate of 21.8% for white adults. The high prevalence of smoking is also present in the Native American youth, as 23.1% of the youth smoke. Additionally, Native Americans had the highest rate of smoking during pregnancy
Smoking and pregnancy
Tobacco smoking and pregnancy is related to many effects on health and reproduction, in addition to the general health effects of tobacco. A number of studies have shown that tobacco use is a significant factor in miscarriages among pregnant smokers, and that it contributes to a number of other...
, at 17.8%. Smoking itself plays into Native American culture, therefore it is a challenging health concern. Other health behaviors that contribute to the current health status include the high rates of obesity and generally low rates of physical activity.
Studies frequently note “a frequency of poor health and limited health care options” for Native Americans in the United States. Insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
coverage is held by the majority of Native Americans, but 33% of American Indians and Alaska Natives do not possess health insurance. About 36% did have private health insurance to cover their medical care, while 24% relied on Medicaid provided through the federal government. In addition to these services available to all Americans, the need for health care for Native Americans has been addressed by the national government. Currently there is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called the Indian Health Service
Indian Health Service
Indian Health Service is an Operating Division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . IHS is responsible for providing medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives...
. The IHS serves to provide health care services and administer various medical programs. Although this service serves many Native Americans, health care is still lacking for the masses. 33% of Native Americans reportedly did not have health insurance in 2007.
Drug and alcohol use
In 2002, Native Americans and Alaskan Natives were at a much higher risk than other minority populations for heavy drinking, binge drinking, and alcohol dependence. A study carried out from 2002 to 2005 reported that 10.7 percent of all Native American and Alaskan Native age groups suffered from alcohol use disorder, whereas 7.6 percent of other ethnic groups reported the same disorder. Alcoholism is a particular issue among Native American women. General statistics indicate that Native American women drink less than men; however, specific tribal social norms and location cause this to vary among individuals. As a result, fetal alcohol spectrum disorderFetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders describes a continuum of permanent birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, which includes, but is not limited to fetal alcohol syndrome...
rates are higher than the national average in some tribes. Among tribes in Alaska, the rate of fetal alcohol syndrome, 5.6 every 1,000 births, is nearly three times higher than non-Indians' rate, 1.5 every 1,000 births. Overall, 11.7% of Native American and Alaskan Native deaths are alcohol-related, which includes traffic accidents, alcoholic liver disease, homicide, suicide, and falls.
Native Americans are more likely than other ethnic groups to report past year illicit drug abuse. Mexican drug-trafficking organizations are the main suppliers of illegal substances to reservations in Indian Country and presumed growers of marijuana on reservations. Drug-trafficking organizations run by African-American, Asian, and Native American gangs and criminal groups also smuggle and supply on-reservation drug retailers with inventories of marijuana, ice methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin. The most commonly abused drug on reservations is marijuana because of its ready availability. The number of Native Americans seeking help for marijuana addiction increased from 1,119 to 2,147 from 2003 to 2007. It is a potentially alarming statistic in the face of declining rates of reported marijuana use among 12-17 and 18-25 year-olds nationwide. There is significant correlation between Methamphetamine and native americans
Methamphetamine and Native Americans
Methamphetamine has become a major concern among the Native Americans within the last decade. Tribal leaders and reservation police departments consider the epidemic the largest threat to public safety and attribute higher rates of domestic violence, assaults, burglaries, and child abuse and...
.
See also
- Native Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
- Demographics of the United StatesDemographics of the United StatesAs of today's date, the United States has a total resident population of , making it the third most populous country in the world. It is a very urbanized population, with 82% residing in cities and suburbs as of 2008 . This leaves vast expanses of the country nearly uninhabited...
- Native American disease and epidemicsNative American disease and epidemicsNative American disease and epidemics pervade many aspects of Native American life, both throughout history and in the modern day. Diseases and epidemics can be chronicled from centuries ago when European settlers brought diseases that devastated entire tribes to the modern day when Native...
- Methamphetamine and Native AmericansMethamphetamine and Native AmericansMethamphetamine has become a major concern among the Native Americans within the last decade. Tribal leaders and reservation police departments consider the epidemic the largest threat to public safety and attribute higher rates of domestic violence, assaults, burglaries, and child abuse and...