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Global Health Matters

November - December, 2007  |  Volume 6, Issue 6

Research Needed to Address Negative Impact of Health Disparities on Native Populations

To commemorate American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, Fogarty helped organize an NIH symposium titled Health Research in Native Communities. The event drew notable American Indian researchers, who presented their scientific work involving native populations. This seventh annual NIH research symposium was co-sponsored by Fogarty, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the Indian Health Service.

Significant and negative health disparities exist between American Indians and Alaska Natives and other races in the U.S., according to the research presented. The five major causes of disability and disease among Native Americans, in rank and order are: alcohol use, motor vehicle accidents, heart disease, unipolar major depression and cirrhosis of the liver. Also contributing significantly to the global burden of disease suffered by Native Americans is diabetes, self-inflicted injury, stroke, homicide and violence, and congenital abnormalities.

Dr. Dale Walker, a Cherokee and the director of One Sky Center,
delivered the keynote address, Talking Leaves: A Research Journey
through Native Addictions, Treatment and Prevention.

There are an estimated 4.5 million American Indians and Alaska Natives in the U.S., represented by 562 federally recognized tribes. About 40 percent live on reservations. The median income reported by indigenous Americans was about $33,627, in 2005, with about 25 percent living below the poverty level and 30 percent having no health insurance.

"Talking Leaves: A Journey Through Native Addictions, Treatment and Prevention," the keynote lecture, was provided by Dr. Dale Walker, a Cherokee and the director of the One Sky Center, a national resource center for American Indians and Alaska Natives dedicated to improving prevention and treatment for substance abuse and mental health.

Native populations have difficulty receiving treatment for such conditions due to difficulties with funding, agency turf issues, diverse treatment philosophies, lack of resources, poor cross training, and consumer/family barriers, according to Dr. Walker.

He said research and advocacy go hand-in-hand. "Our experience has taught us that, in order to be successful, evidence-based research in addiction prevention and treatment requires the input and active involvement of the American Indian communities," Dr. Walker added.

Fogarty's Director of International Relations, Dr. James Herrington, a Chickasaw, discussed the importance of pursuing research, training, continuing education, technical assistance and information dissemination within a framework that recognizes the unique cultural contexts of this special population.