JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Comparative Study
Health status of urban American Indians and Alaska Natives. A population-based study.
To use vital statistics and communicable disease reports to characterize the health status of an urban American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population and compare it with urban whites and African Americans and with AI/ANs living on or near rural reservations. ⋯ In this urban area, great disparities exist between the health of AI/ANs and whites across almost every health dimension we measured. No consistent pattern was found in the comparison of health indicators between urban and rural AI/ANs, though rural AI/ANs had lower rates of low birth weight and higher rates of timely prenatal care use. The poor health status of urban AI/AN people requires greater attention from federal, state, and local health authorities.
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The tobacco industry claims that tobacco makes a significant economic contribution to each of the states in the United States. We sought to determine whether Michigan, a nontobacco state, would reap more economic benefits from the presence or absence of tobacco product sales. ⋯ Reducing or eliminating tobacco product spending in Michigan will increase employment in the state, as well as health.