KING COUNTY, WA - Today, Public Health - Seattle & King County in partnership with the Seattle Indian Health Board issued a new report on "The Health Status of American Indians and Alaska Natives Living in King County." The report documents both progress and persistent health problems among the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population.

"Despite some improvements in the last 20 years, this report points out that many urban American Indians and Alaskan Natives are not enjoying good health," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "Everybody in our community, regardless of ethnicity, deserves good health."

"Understanding health disparities is the first step in developing effective strategies to improve health," said Dr. Alonzo Plough, Director of Public Health - Seattle & King County. "We hope that this report will be a catalyst for both dialogue and actions to address the health concerns of American Indian and Alaska Native populations."

For the full report on The Health Status of American Indians and Alaska Natives Living in King County, please visit www.metrokc.gov/health/reports/aianreport.pdf

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"While some health concerns among urban Indians have improved significantly in recent years, these improvements have not kept up with advances for all King County residents," said Ralph Forquera, Executive Director of the Seattle Indian Health Board. "We must continue to find ways to close the gap in health status for Indian people."

The report found the following health improvements among AI/AN populations:

• Decreased mortality: The overall mortality rate has decreases by almost 20% since 1980. Since 1994, however, there has been a slight increase in the mortality rate.
  
  
• Improved maternal prenatal care: Since 1980, there has been an increase in prenatal care. In addition, in recent years there has been a decrease in maternal smoking and alcohol use.
  
  
• Decreased communicable diseases: In the last decade, there has been a substantial decrease in the rates of sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and chlamydia.

The report found some new and continuing health problems:

• Lack of health insurance: Almost one in four AI/AN adults reported having no health insurance, compared to 12% of all county residents.
  
  
• Some increased rates and risks: There were increases in deaths due to lung cancer, unintentional injury, diabetes, and drug abuse.
  
  
• High prevalence of some risk factors for diseases among adults: Among adults, rates for smoking (37%) and overweight status (60%) were higher among AI/AN populations, compared to the county as a whole (19% and 46%, respectively).
  
  
• High prevalence of some risk factors among youth: Among high school students in Seattle, rates were higher among AI/AN students than all other students in terms of smoking, overweight status, carrying weapons, gang involvement, being the target of a weapon, and drug and alcohol use.
  
  
• Poverty: In 1998, about two out of five AI/AN adults lived below 200% of the poverty line, compared to approximately one in five of all county residents.

"It is very disheartening to see that so many Indians remain mired in poverty," said Forquera. "Both increased access to health care and attention to factors such as poverty, racism, and other social determinants of health must be addressed."

In the 2000 U.S. Census, 33,000 King County residents reported that they were of AI/AN heritage. Nearly half of the residents reported Indian heritage alone, while the rest noted mixed ancestry. AI/AN residents in King County have diverse ethnic identities, and members come from hundreds of tribes.

On June 2nd, the Seattle Indian Health Board will organize the seventh annual SpiritWalk. The SpiritWalk is a walk-a-thon to make an impact in the prevention of substance abuse and raise community awareness around alternatives to substance use. For more information, please visit http://www.sihb.org/news.html.

"This weekend's SpiritWalk to prevent substance abuse is an excellent example of how to address a health concern in our community," said Forquera.