The role of tribal experiences in shaping Native American health.
The relatively poor health and healthcare of Native Americans is well documented. However, the existing research does not adequately consider unique tribal experiences in shaping Native American health. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to assess the role of tribes in explaining measures of healthcare and the perceptions of health-related problems. Employing interview data from 219 members of the Omaha Tribe and Santee Sioux Nation in rural Nebraska, it is found that significant tribal distinctions exist in terms of health status, health access, and the perceptions of community issues related to health and healthcare. These differences are linked with the unique experiences of the tribes as a way to illustrate the need for researchers and policy makers to consider the role tribes play in shaping health.
Blankenau
Joe
J
Department of History, Politics, and Geography, Wayne State College, Wayne, Nebraska, USA. joblank1@wsc.edu
Comer
John
J
Nitzke
Joseph
J
Stabler
Wehnona
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009329:Nebraska; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014481:United States; D016549:United States Indian Health Service / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult