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Native Americans 2002

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

In the 2002 survey, there were a total of 185 completed Native American interviews. About 80 percent of those were from Robeson County, where approximately 50 percent of North Carolina's Native American population lives. Even though estimates from this sample have relatively large error because of the fairly small number of Native American interviews, it is important to present the data due to lack of current information on Native American health. In 2003 we expect to have a larger sample of Native Americans. We compared Native Americans to whites, or to all other adults in the sample, with regard to health care access, health risks, chronic conditions, quality of life, and preventive health behaviors. Some of these differences are highlighted below.

Health Care Access:

  • Twenty percent of Native American adults under age 65 had no health insurance in 2002; the rate of no health insurance for whites was 15 percent.
  • Compared to whites, Native Americans (13.4%) were twice as likely not to be able to get medical care when they needed it.
  • Eighty percent of Native Americans reported having a personal health care provider, slightly below the rate for whites (84.0%).
  • Seventy-five percent of Native Americans reported having a routine check-up in the past year, slightly above the rate for whites (73.7%).

Health Risks:

  • Native Americans (31.1%) were more likely to be obese than whites (20.7%) and less likely to be obese than African Americans (37.7%).
  • In 2002, the NC adult smoking prevalence was 26.2 percent; among Native Americans, the smoking prevalence was 21.3 percent. The lower rate of smoking among Native Americans was partially explained by their higher quit rate: 34.4 percent of Native Americans were former smokers, compared to 26.2 percent of whites.
  • The rate of binge-drinking in the past month among Native Americans (9.4%) was slightly lower than that observed for whites (11.1%).
  • Physical inactivity was more than twice as high among Native Americans (29.5%), as compared to whites (17.7%).
  • Only about 8 percent of Native Americans consumed five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day compared to about 26 percent of whites.
  • Among all minority groups including African Americans, the rate of ever being physically assaulted was highest among Native Americans (25.1%).
  • About 35 percent of Native Americans reportedly keep firearms in or around their home; the rate among whites for this indicator was 49.0 percent.

Chronic Conditions:

  • The prevalence of disability among Native Americans (28.7%) was the highest of any race or ethnic group in the 2002 survey.
  • Among 18 to 64 year olds who are employed, 47.0 percent of Native Americans reported that arthritis or joint symptoms affects whether they work, the type of work they do, or the amount of work they do. This rate was 22.9 percent for whites and 33.8 percent for African Americans.
  • More than 11% of Native Americans have doctor-diagnosed diabetes; this compares to 6.5 percent of whites and 11.3 percent of African Americans.
  • Across all race or ethnic groups, the highest rate of current asthma was found among Native Americans (10.9%).
  • Among those age 40 and older, the rate of doctor-diagnosed cancer was 8.2 percent among Native Americans, 8.1 percent among African Americans, and 12.3 percent among whites.

Quality of Life:

  • About 23 percent of Native Americans and 20 percent of whites rated their overall health as fair or poor.
  • Among those with an impairment or health problem, almost half of Native Americans (47.6%) reported that they need the help of other persons in handling routine needs, such as household chores. Among whites with an impairment or health problem, this need was 30.7 percent.
  • Nineteen percent of Native Americans reported that their physical health was not good for at least 8 out of the past 30 days; among whites this rate was 13.4 percent.
  • The rate of poor mental health days (8+ out of the past 30 days) was about the same for Native Americans, whites, and African Americans (11%).
  • Almost six percent of Native Americans and 3.2 percent of whites reported that, within the past 30 days, they felt emotionally upset because of unfair racial treatment.

Preventive Health Behaviors:

  • About 62 percent of Native Americans age 50 and older have never had a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy exam; about 50 percent of whites have never had either of these exams.
  • Native American females age 18 and older had the highest rate (94.9%) of having a Pap test in the past 3 years of any other race/ethnic group.
  • Almost 28 percent of Native Americans reported having a flu shot in the past year, between the rates for whites (33.8%) and African Americans (26.5%).

 

Return to 2002 BRFSS Annual Results Table of Contents