Peer Reviewed: Risks to Health Among American Indian/Alaska Native High School Students in the United States

Introduction

According to the World Health Organization, the 10 leading risk factor causes of death in high-income countries are tobacco use, high blood pressure, overweight and obesity, physical inactivity, high blood glucose, high cholesterol, low fruit and vegetable intake, urban air pollution, alcohol use, and occupational risks. We examined the prevalence of some of the leading risks to health among nationally representative samples of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) high school students and compared rates across racial/ethnic groups.

Methods

We combined data from the 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The survey is a biennial, self-administered, school-based survey of 9th- through 12th-grade students in the United States. Overall response rates for the surveys ranged from 63% to 72%. Of 73,183 participants, 952 were AI/AN students.

Results

For 7 of the 16 variables examined in this study, the prevalence among AI/AN high school students was higher than the prevalence among white high school students. For 1 variable (ate fruit and vegetables <5 times per day), the prevalence among AI/AN students was significantly lower than that among white students. The prevalence for the remaining 8 variables was similar among AI/AN students and white students. These findings also show differences in the prevalence of some behaviors among AI/AN, black, and Hispanic students.

Conclusion

These findings show the prevalence of some health risk behaviors was significantly higher among AI/AN high school students than among high school students in other racial/ethnic groups.