Native American women, which includes American Indians and Alaska Natives, make up 0.8% of all women in the US.

The top five leading cause of death for Native American women of all ages are heart disease, accidents and adverse effects, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), and cirrhosis, a chronic liver disease.(1)

AIDS:

The AIDS case rate in American Indian/ Alaska Native women is almost four times the rate for non-Hispanic white women.(2)

Cancer:

	Cancer is the second leading cause of death in American Indian/ Alaska Native females.(3)
	American Indian/ Alaska Native women have the lowest incidence of breast cancer yet have the poorest five-year survival rates.(4)
	The mortality from colorectal cancer is highest among Native American and Alaskan Native women than other women.(5)

Diabetes:

	Type 2 diabetes is a serious chronic health problems facing Native American women. Approximately one third of American Indians aged 45 or older have diabetes.(1)
	Native American women suffer from the second highest rate of being overweight, which places them at a higher risk for diabetes.(6)
	Native American women have the highest age-adjusted death rates for diabetes, one that is 3.5 times greater than the overall population.615% of American Indian/ Alaska Natives receiving care from Indian Health Services have diabetes.(7)
	American Indian/ Alaska Natives are almost 3 times as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.(7)
	The mortality rate for American Indian women living in New Mexico has increased 550% over a 30-year period.(8)
	Rates of end-stage-renal-disease, a complication of diabetes, are increasing at a rate of 10% per year for American Indian/ Alaska Natives compared to 6% per year for whites.(9)

Heart Disease:

	Heart disease is the leading cause of death in American Indian/ Alaska Native women. (3)
	Among Native American women age 18 and older, 61.4 percent have one or more cardiovascular disease risk factors-hypertension, current cigarette smoking, high blood cholesterol, obesity or diabetes.(10)
	American Indian/ Alaska Native women have the highest prevalence of cigarette smoking (40.8%) compared to any other ethnic group.(11)

Substance Abuse:

Alcoholism is more common among Native American women than among Caucasian women. The overall impact on Native American society has been devastating, with high rates of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis.(6)

Kidney Disease:

American Indians/Alaska Natives have a higher rate of kidney disease due to diabetes than whites.(9)

References:

1. Making the Grade on Women's Health: A National and State-by-State Report Card: National Women's Law Center; August 2000.

2. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Pervention; 2000. 12(No.2).

3. Eberhardt MS, Ingram DD, Makuc DM. Urban and Rural Health Chartbook. Health, Unites States, 2001. Hyattsville, Maryland: National Center for Health Statistics; 2001 2001.

4. The unequal burden of cancer: An assessment of NIH research and programs for ethnic minorities and the medically underserved. Washington, DC: Institute of Medicine, National Academy Press; 1999.

5. Recent trends in mortality rates for four major cancers, by sex and race/ethnicity --- United States, 1990-1998. MMWR. January 25 2002;51(03):49-53.

6. Ross H. Lifting the Unequal Burden of Cancer on Minorities and the Underserved: NCI Develops Strategic Plan to Reduce Cancer Related Health Disparities. Washington, DC: Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; August 2000.

7. National diabetes statistics fact sheet: general information and national estimates on diabetes in the United States, 2000. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2002.

8. Carter JS, Wiggins CL, Becker TM, Key CR, Samet JM. Diabetes mortality among New Mexico's American Indian, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white populations, 1958-1987. Diabetes Care. 1993;16(1):306-309.

9. Healthy People 2010, 2nd ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Government Printing Office; November 2000.

10. Heart and Stroke Statistical Update. Dallas, TX: American Heart Association; 2000. 11. Cigarette smoking among adults--United States, 1999. MMWR. Oct 12 2001;50(40):869-873.