Healthcare Utilization, Diabetes Prevalence, and Comorbidities: Examining Sex Differences among American Indian and Alaska Native Peoples

American Indian/Alaska Native education – the training for life of children, adolescents, and adults – has been locked in battle for centuries with colonial schooling, which continues to the present day. Settler societies have used schools to “civilize” Indigenous peoples and to train Native peoples in subservience while dispossessing them of land. Schools are the battlegrounds of American Indian education in which epistemologies, ontologies, axiologies, pedagogies, and curricula clash. In the last century, Native nations, communities, parents, and students have fought tenaciously to maintain heritage languages and cultures – their ways of being in the world – through Indigenous education and have demanded radical changes in schools. Contemporary models of how educators are braiding together Indigenous education and Indigenous schooling to better serve Native peoples provide dynamic, productive possibilities for the future.

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Prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in American Indian and Alaska Native adults, 2006–2017

BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care ◽

10.1136/bmjdrc-2020-001218 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. e001218 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ann Bullock ◽

Karen Sheff ◽

Israel Hora ◽

Nilka Rios Burrows ◽

Stephen R Benoit ◽

...

Keyword(s):

American Indian ◽

Alaska Native ◽

Age Groups ◽

Geographic Region ◽

Diabetes Prevalence ◽

Clinical Population ◽

Fiscal Year ◽

The Usa ◽

Diagnosed Diabetes ◽

Design And Methods

IntroductionThe objective of this study was to examine recent trends in diagnosed diabetes prevalence for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults aged 18 years and older in the Indian Health Service (IHS) active clinical population.Research design and methodsData were extracted from the IHS National Data Warehouse for AI/AN adults for each fiscal year from 2006 (n=729 470) through 2017 (n=1 034 814). The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes for each year and the annual percentage change were estimated for adults overall, as well as by sex, age group, and geographic region.ResultsAfter increasing significantly from 2006 to 2013, diabetes prevalence for AI/AN adults in the IHS active clinical population decreased significantly from 2013 to 2017. Prevalence was 14.4% (95% CI 13.9% to 15.0%) in 2006; 15.4% (95% CI 14.8% to 16.0%) in 2013; and 14.6% (95% CI 14.1% to 15.2%) in 2017. Trends for men and women were similar to the overall population, as were those for all age groups. For all geographic regions, prevalence either decreased significantly or leveled off in recent years.ConclusionsDiabetes prevalence in AI/AN adults in the IHS active clinical population has decreased significantly since 2013. While these results cannot be generalized to all AI/AN adults in the USA, this study documents the first known decrease in diabetes prevalence for AI/AN people.

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Speech-Language Assessment Considerations for American Indian and Alaska Native Children Who Are Dual Language Learners

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/persp2.sig14.29 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (14) ◽

pp. 29-40 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christine Vining ◽

Edgarita Long ◽

Ella Inglebret ◽

Megan Brendal

Keyword(s):

American Indian ◽

Language Learners ◽

Alaska Native ◽

Dual Language ◽

Linguistic Diversity ◽

Critical Role ◽

Language Assessment ◽

Assessment Process ◽

Dual Language Learners ◽

Native Communities

The overrepresentation of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children in special education, including children who are dual language learners (DLLs), is a major concern. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can play a critical role in reducing this overrepresentation. Using a holistic assessment process that is responsive to the communication patterns of home and community contexts provides a framework for distinguishing actual language disorders from differences associated with cultural and linguistic diversity. This article presents current trends in Native communities that may impact the speech-language assessment process, including a shift from indigenous languages to English and/or Native language revitalization efforts. It also provides a framework for guiding assessment in a manner that considers cultural and linguistic factors in speech-language assessment for AI/AN children who are DLLs.

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