Causes and Disparities in Death Rates Among Urban American Indian and Alaska Native Populations, 1999-2009

Abstract

Objectives: To characterize the leading causes of death for the urban American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) population and compare with urban White and rural AI/AN populations.

Methods: We linked Indian Health Service patient registration records with the National Death Index to reduce racial misclassification in death certificate data. We calculated age-adjusted urban AI/AN death rates for the period 1999-2009 and compared those with corresponding urban White and rural AI/AN death rates.

Results: The top-5 leading causes of death among urban AI/AN persons were heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, diabetes, and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. Compared with urban White persons, urban AI/AN persons experienced significantly higher death rates for all top-5 leading causes. The largest disparities were for diabetes and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. In general, urban and rural AI/AN persons had the same leading causes of death, although urban AI/AN persons had lower death rates for most conditions.

Conclusions: Urban AI/AN persons experience significant disparities in death rates compared with their White counterparts. Public health and clinical interventions should target urban AI/AN persons to address behaviors and conditions contributing to health disparities.

Figures

FIGURE 1—

Retrieval of Death Records for Analysis Note. AI/AN = American Indian/Alaska Native. Source. Adapted from American Indian/Alaska Native surveillance and enhancement of the Indian Health Service National Patient Registration Database (Melissa Jim, MPH, e-mail communication, September 21, 2014). aIncludes all Indian Health Service patient registration records since development of automated system in 1983. bData from Murphy et al.