Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Jun;104 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):S320-8.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301598. Epub 2014 Apr 22.

American Indian and Alaska Native infant and pediatric mortality, United States, 1999-2009

Charlene A Wong  1 , Francine C Gachupin, Robert C Holman, Marian F MacDorman, James E Cheek, Steve Holve, Rosalyn J Singleton
Affiliations

American Indian and Alaska Native infant and pediatric mortality, United States, 1999-2009

Charlene A Wong et al. Am J Public Health. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: We described American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) infant and pediatric death rates and leading causes of death.

Methods: We adjusted National Vital Statistics System mortality data for AI/AN racial misclassification by linkage with Indian Health Service (IHS) registration records. We determined average annual death rates and leading causes of death for 1999 to 2009 for AI/AN versus White infants and children. We limited the analysis to IHS Contract Health Service Delivery Area counties.

Results: The AI/AN infant death rate was 914 (rate ratio [RR] = 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.55, 1.67). Sudden infant death syndrome, unintentional injuries, and influenza or pneumonia were more common in AI/AN versus White infants. The overall AI/AN pediatric death rates were 69.6 for ages 1 to 4 years (RR = 2.56; 95% CI = 2.38, 2.75), 28.9 for ages 5 to 9 years (RR = 2.12; 95% CI = 1.92, 2.34), 37.3 for ages 10 to 14 years (RR = 2.22; 95% CI = 2.04, 2.40), and 158.4 for ages 15 to 19 years (RR = 2.71; 95% CI = 2.60, 2.82). Unintentional injuries and suicide occurred at higher rates among AI/AN youths versus White youths.

Conclusions: Death rates for AI/AN infants and children were higher than for Whites, with regional disparities. Several leading causes of death in the AI/AN pediatric population are potentially preventable.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Carmichael SL, Iyasu S. Changes in the black-white infant mortality gap from 1983 to 1991 in the United States. Am J Prev Med. 1998;15(3):220–227. - PubMed
    1. Hamilton BE, Hoyert DL, Martin JA, Strobino DM, Guyer B. Annual summary of vital statistics: 2010–2011. Pediatrics. 2013;131(3):548–558. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tomashek KM, Qin C, Hsia J, Iyasu S, Barfield WD, Flowers LM. Infant mortality trends and differences between American Indian/Alaska Native infants and White infants in the United States, 1989–1991 and 1998–2000. Am J Public Health. 2006;96(12):2222–2227. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brenneman G, Rhoades E, Chilton L. Forty years in partnership: the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Indian Health Service. Pediatrics. 2006;118(4):e1257–e1263. - PubMed
    1. Holman RC, Folkema AM, Singleton RJ et al. Disparities in infectious disease hospitalizations for American Indian/Alaska Native people. Public Health Rep. 2011;126(4):508–521. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources