Landen M, Roeber J, Naimi T, Nielsen L, Sewell M. Am. J. Public Health 2014; 104(Suppl 3): S343-9.
Affiliation
Michael Landen and Jim Roeber are with the Epidemiology and Response Division, New Mexico Department of Health, Santa Fe. Tim Naimi is with the Section of Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center, MA. Larry Nielsen is with the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems, Silver Spring, MD. Mack Sewell is with the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Cheyenne.
OBJECTIVEs. We describe the relative burden of alcohol-attributable death among American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) in the United States.
METHODS. National Death Index records were linked with Indian Health Service (IHS) registration records to identify AI/AN deaths misclassified as non-AI/AN. We calculated age-adjusted alcohol-attributable death rates from 1999 to 2009 for AI/AN and White persons by sex, age, geographic region, and leading causes; individuals of Hispanic origin were excluded.
RESULTS. AI/AN persons had a substantially higher rate of alcohol-attributable death than Whites from 2005 to 2009 in IHS Contract Health Service Delivery Area counties (rate ratio = 3.3). The Northern Plains had the highest rate of AI/AN deaths (123.8/100 000), and the East had the lowest (48.9/100 000). For acute causes, the largest relative risks for AI/AN persons compared with Whites were for hypothermia (14.2) and alcohol poisoning (7.6). For chronic causes, the largest relative risks were for alcoholic psychosis (5.0) and alcoholic liver disease (4.9).
CONCLUSIONS. Proven strategies that reduce alcohol consumption and make the environment safer for excessive drinkers should be further implemented in AI/AN communities. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print April 22, 2014: e1-e7. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301648).