Identifying Disparities in Health Outcomes and Mortality for American Indian and Alaska Native Populations Using Tribally Disaggregated Vital Statistics and Health Survey Data

Small-Rodriguez, Desi PhD Akee Randall PhD

Objectives. To determine the impact of disaggregated mortality and health surveillance data on the ability to identify health disparities for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) subpopulations. Methods. We conducted a systematic review of reporting categories for AI/AN decedents on official death certificates for all 50 US states. Using public data from the 2017-2018 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), we conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to assess disparities in health conditions and outcomes for tribally enrolled and non-tribally enrolled AI/AN persons compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Results. There was no standard for the collection of tribal enrollment data or AI/AN race on death certificates across all 50 states. There were stark differences in the incidence and prevalence of various health risk factors and chronic diseases for the tribally enrolled AI/AN subpopulation, non-tribally enrolled AI/AN subpopulation, and non-Hispanic White comparison group. Conclusions. The collection of tribal enrollment data in vital statistics and health surveillance systems is necessary to identify and respond to health disparities among AI/AN subpopulations. These efforts must be conducted in partnership with tribal nations and consider Indigenous data sovereignty. (AmJ Public Health. 111 (S2):S126-S132. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306427)