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. 2021 Apr;147(4):e2021050498.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-050498. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Caring for American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Adolescents

Shaquita Bell  1   2 , Jason F Deen  3   2 , Molly Fuentes  4 , Kelly Moore  5 ; COMMITTEE ON NATIVE AMERICAN CHILD HEALTH
Collaborators, Affiliations

Caring for American Indian and Alaska Native Children and Adolescents

Shaquita Bell et al. Pediatrics. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations have substantial health inequities, and most of their disease entities begin in childhood. In addition, AI/AN children and adolescents have excessive disease rates compared with the general pediatric population. Because of this, providers of pediatric care are in a unique position not only to attenuate disease incidence during childhood but also to improve the health status of this special population as a whole. This policy statement examines the inequitable disease burden observed in AI/AN youth, with a focus on toxic stress, mental health, and issues related to suicide and substance use disorder, risk of and exposure to injury and violence in childhood, obesity and obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors and disease, foster care, and the intersection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and Two-Spirit and AI/AN youth. Opportunities for advocacy in policy making also are presented.

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Conflict of interest statement

POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Dr Moore was a paid consultant for the Public Health Institute (Oakland, CA); and Drs Bell, Deen, and Fuentes have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

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