5290.0: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - 4:30 PM

Abstract #11402

Are health disparities experienced by Native Americans in Maine disappearing?

Paul L. Kuehnert, MS, RN, Director, Division of Disease Control, Maine Bureau of Health, 11 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0011, 207-287-5179, paul.kuehnert@state.me.us

The Maine Bureau of Health conducted an assessment of the health needs of Maine’s Native American residents for presentation to a regional conference on health disparities experienced by Native Americans in New England. The assessment and analysis included a review of population data on socio-economic status, morbidity, and natality and mortality over the past 20 years; review of data from a behavioral risk factor survey of one Maine Native American sub-population; and interviews with key informants from each of Maine’s five tribes and/or bands. Key findings indicated that major improvements in the health status of the Native American population have been made over the past two decades including: falling infant mortality rates; increasing mean and median age of death; and drastic declines in cardiovascular death rates. But things may or may not be as they seem! Alternative explanations to actual improvements in population health status include: 1) vital records coding errors resulting in misclassification of race; 2) changes in the “population denominator” as a result of larger social and political forces such that questions may be raised regarding the validity of comparing Maine’s Native American population across a twenty year span. Program and policy implications of this assessment process and follow-up actions by the Maine Bureau of Health are explored and discussed with an eye toward implications for population-focused assessment by public health nurses.

Learning Objectives: 1) Describe the application of health needs assessment process and techniques that have been used to describe and analyze health disparities as experienced by Native Americans in Maine. 2) Discuss program and policy implications of a health needs assessment for a state health department working in partnership with a racial minority community. 3) Discuss the implications of misclassification of racial data for assessing health status of populations

Keywords: American Indians, Needs Assessment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: State of Maine Department of Human Services, Bureau of Health
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employer

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA