Urban American Indian and Alaska Native youth: youth risk behavior survey 1997-2003.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the prevalence of health risk-behaviors among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth in urban areas.


METHODS
Data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for the years 1997-2003 were used for the analyses (Urban sample = 52,364). The YRBS is a self-report questionnaire administered to a sample of 9th-12th grade students intended to monitor health risk-behaviors. "Urban" is defined as areas within a Metropolitan Statistical Area. Whites are used as the comparison group for the examination of AI/AN estimates.


RESULTS
Urban AI/AN youth represented 1% of the urban sample (N = 513). The presence of a number of risk-behaviors were at least threefold higher in AI/AN compared to white youth in urban areas, including suicidal behaviors, feeling unsafe at school and needing medical treatment from a fight. Other factors were over twofold higher among AI/AN, including sexual behaviors, illegal drug use, violence at school, and experiences of rape, assault and pregnancy.


CONCLUSIONS
The higher prevalence of health risk-behaviors in urban AI/AN compared to white youth reflects a need for interventions focused on urban AI/AN youth.
Rutman
Shira
S
Urban Indian Health Institute, Seattle Indian Health Board, P.O. Box 3364, Seattle, WA 98114, USA. shirar@uihi.org
Park
Alice
A
Castor
Mei
M
Taualii
Maile
M
Forquera
Ralph
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D000413:Alaska; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D004930:Inuit / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D012309:Risk-Taking; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*