Health Disparities
Native Americans have a greater chance of experiencing a variety of health issues that tend to compound one another and are further compounded by other issues such as poverty. For example, in the US, Native Americans have two* to three** times the rate of Diabetes 2 than the white population. Some believe this may relate to poorer Native Americans consuming a higher amount of less healthy food e.g., from fast food restaurants.
Poverty further compounds health issues in that Native Americans often cannot get appropriate health care simply because they cannot find transportation to the doctors office. Also, substandard housing conditions, all that many Native Americans can afford to rent, have rodents, plumbing issues, exposed wiring – problems that can spread disease or are immediate health hazards themselves.
In addition, Native Americans have a higher rate of drug and alcohol addiction which results in much higher incidents of death due to causes such as cirrhosis, accidents (unintended injury), suicide and homicide. Indeed, the average life expectancy of Native Americans in Minnesota is 44 years, compared to approximately 75 years for the white population. The much lower expectancy for Native American’s is due to significantly higher numbers of deaths due to violence and accidents – often direct results of drug and alcohol abuse.
* CDC, ** MN Dept. Health “Populations of Color in Minnesota: Health Status Report Fall 2003
Health of General Population
Infant Mortality: MN Native Pop. Avg 15.1%, MN White Pop. Avg: 5.1%
Life Expectancy: MN Native Pop. 44 years, MN White Pop. Avg: 75 years
Causes of Death in Minnesota: Native Americans Contrasted with Whites (Per 100,000 Population)
|
Cause of Death |
Native Rates % Over Whites |
Native Rates per 100,000 Pop. |
White Rates per 100,000 Pop. |
|
|
Homicide |
88% |
13.8 |
1.6 |
|
|
Cirrhosis |
84% |
38.4 |
6.4 |
|
|
Diabetes |
75% |
94.4 |
23.0 |
|
|
Unintended Injury |
60% |
81.7 |
33.9 |
|
|
Suicide |
53% |
19.1 |
9.1 |
|
|
Heart Diseases |
25% |
246.2 |
183.9 |
|
|
Cancers |
20% |
228.7 |
184.6 |
Population of Native Americans – Upper Midwest
The following table shows the State and Total populations of Native Americans living within a 700-mile radius of Minneapolis / the Twin Cities. Population numbers reflect on and off Reserve and Reservations with exception of Illinois which does not have a reservation land base.
Population of Native Americans Within 700 Miles of Minneapolis
|
Minnesota |
54,967 |
|
North Dakota |
31,329 |
|
South Dakota |
62,282 |
|
Wisconsin |
47,228 |
|
Michigan |
58,479 |
|
Iowa |
8,989 |
|
Illinois |
31,006 |
|
Ontario, Canada |
188,315 |
|
Manitoba, Canada |
150,000 |
| Total population: | 632,595 |
Education Issues
While improvements to some Native American quality of life categories have been made over the last 20 years, education levels are still lagging behind the rest of Minnesota’s population. Unless otherwise noted, the figures below are taken from the 2000 Census data.
Education Statistics
College Graduates: Native Americans Avg: 8.8%, MN Population Avg: 27.4%
High School Graduates: Native Americans Avg. 74.5%, MN Population Avg: 87.9%