Health Literacy and American Indian/Alaska Natives

I would like to acknowledge the Urban Indian Health Institute’s enormous contribution to today’s blog! — Annie In past blog posts, we have explored health literacy issues from a variety of perspectives. Today we explore how it impacts American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). According to the Indian Health Service, “low health literacy is disproportionately burdensome to American Indians and Alaska Natives and their elders.”2 Individuals with lower health literacy skills often use more health care services designed to treat disease complications, while fewer use services intended to prevent complications. Because health literacy is closely linked to poverty, AI/ANs are disproportionately impacted. According to the 2016 American Community Survey, the median household income of AI/ANs was $39,719 (+/-1,029)3, compared to $59,039 for the total population and 26% of single-race AI/ANs experienced poverty, compared to 14% of the nation as a whole. American Indians and Alaska Natives have historically experienced significant health disparities compared to other Americans, leading to lower life expectancy and greater disease burden. The leading causes of death for AI/ANs include diseases of the heart, malignant neoplasm, unintentional injuries, and diabetes. Governmental policies, institutional practices, and systemic oppression of cultural teachings have shaped the current conditions by which AI/ANs experience racially disparate outcomes in educational at...
Source: Dragonfly - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: Blog Health Literacy/Consumer Health Medical Librarians Month Source Type: news