Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Alaska Native”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 361 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

HLA antigens, alleles and haplotypes among the Yup'ik Alaska natives: report of the ASHI Minority Workshops, Part II.

As part of the American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics coordinated studies among minority populations, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles were defined for 460 volunteer Yup'ik Eskimos from the Yukon Kuskokwim delta region of southwestern Alaska. The study group included 252 adults with no other first-degree relatives and 48 informative nuclear families. Full Yupik ancestry through both maternal and paternal grandparents was claimed by 81.1% of participants. HLA-A, -B, -Cw, -DRB1, and -DQB1 alleles were determined by SBT, SSOP, reverse SSOP, and/or RSCA according to the protocols of five participating laboratories. Polymorphism was limited with 3-6 alleles comprising > 80% of the alleles observed at each locus. Homozygosity was high, particularly at the HLA-A and -DQB1 loci, with 36.6% and 44% of individuals having a single allele defined at these respective loci. HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 alleles were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, whereas HLA-Cw and -DQB1 alleles gave significant deviation (p = 0.002; 0.005). Significant linkage disequilibrium (p < or = 0.00001) was observed in all pairwise evaluations. A new Cw*0806 allele was observed in high linkage disequilibrium with B*4801(Delta = 0.099; Delta(rel) = 1.0). Three extended haplotypes were found to have frequencies > 5%, the most prevalent being A*2402; B*4801; DRB1*0401; DQB1*0301 (0.0933). Comparison of available class I data indicate that the Yup'ik share several common alleles with other Native American populations, including: A*2402, *0206, *6801; B*1501, *2705, *3501, *4002, *4801, *5101; and Cw*0202, *0304, *0401. Comparisons of class II data also confirm a close relationship of the Yup'ik to two other Eskimo populations, Siberian and East Greenland Eskimos. DRB1*0401 and *1101, which occur in high frequency among these Eskimo populations, but not in other Native Americans, were also prevalent among the Yup'ik, with respective frequencies of 0.232 and 0.107.

Alaska↗
PubMed2004

Health and support service utilization patterns of American Indians and Alaska Natives diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.

The purpose of this analysis is twofold: to examine the types of health and support services provided by CARE Act funded providers to American Indians/Alaska Natives and to compare the characteristics and service utilization patterns for this group with those of individuals from other racial/ethnic groups. We present an analysis of the demographic characteristics, service utilization, and health outcomes of all HIV-infected clients who received services in five geographic areas at agencies that were funded through the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. Standard chi-square tests were used to test for statistically significant differences (p <.05) between the demographic characteristics and service utilization patterns of matched pairs of HIV-positive American Indian/Native Alaskans with HIV-positive individuals of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Individuals were matched on gender, age, insurance, AIDS diagnosis, and site. Other data examined include client characteristics (income, homelessness, HIV exposure category, and source of health care), health indicators (CDC-defined disease stage, CD4+ counts, substance abuse and psychiatric illness) and service utilization (medical care; mental health treatment/counseling; substance abuse treatment/counseling; case management; dental care; housing, food, emergency financial, and transportation assistance, and buddy/companion and client advocacy services). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups for HIV exposure category, CD4 count, substance abuse problem, and being homeless and in their likelihood to receive medical care, mental health or substance abuse treatment/counseling, dental care, food, emergency financial, and transportation assistance, as well as buddy/companion and client advocacy services. They were more likely (55% vs. 46%) to receive case management services than the matched individuals from other racial/ethnic groups. They were also more likely to receive housing assistance (35% vs. 25%). The analysis provides evidence that when individuals are matched on key demographic and health characteristics, few differences remain between HIV-positive American Indians/Native Alaskans and other racial/ethnic groups. The two exceptions are case management and housing assistance. The significantly higher use of case management is not surprising, given the emphasis by American Indians/Alaska Natives on traditional Native American case management case management. In contrast, the significantly higher use of housing assistance by American Indians/Alaska Natives was unexpected. Exploring the potential need for housing assistance among all American Indians/Alaska Natives served by the Ryan White CARE Act needs to be considered.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Unchanged asthma prevalence during 1990-1999 in rural Alaska Natives.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of asthma has been increasing throughout the world, but the reasons for the increase are unclear. Some have hypothesized that the increase is due to industrial and agricultural pollutants in urban and rural areas, respectively. The objective of this research was to determine if the prevalence of asthma has increased in a remote area of Alaska where the population lives a subsistence lifestyle and is not exposed to such pollution. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of medical records to determine the prevalence of asthma. METHODS: We reviewed medical records of 1200 children, aged 0-10 years, who lived in the Yukon-Kuskokwum Delta (YKD) region of western Alaska between 1990 and 1999. The entire YKD population receives health care from a single medical system, so records provide a complete picture of each patient's health care. Data collected from the medical records included demographics, and the presence or absence of a diagnosis of asthma or reactive airway disease (RAD). RESULTS: Over the 10-year period from 1990-1999, there was no significant change in the percentage of children who had a diagnosis of asthma (2.0% in 1990 and 3% in 1999), or RAD (9.6% in 1990 and 9.6% in 1999). CONCLUSIONS: In a population of children not exposed to urban industrial, or rural agricultural pollutants, there was no change in the prevalence of wheezing or asthma between 1990 and 1999.

Alaska↗
PubMed2005

Causes of visual impairment and common eye problems in Northwest American Indians and Alaska Natives.

OBJECTIVES: Little information exists regarding the causes of visual impairment and the most common eye problems in American Indians/Alaska Natives. METHODS: We randomly sampled American Indians/Alaska Natives older than 40 years from 3 tribes within the Northwest region. RESULTS: We found a higher prevalence of visual impairment and normal-tension glaucoma, as well as a lower prevalence of ocular hypertension, in American Indians/Alaska Natives compared with previous results in other racial/ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: American Indians/Alaska Natives have a need for vision correction. Future interventions in American Indians/Alaska Natives should include providing spectacles for refractive error, detecting glaucoma, and preventing visual impairment from age-related maculopathy and cataracts.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The negative association between traditional physical activities and the prevalence of glucose intolerance in Alaska Natives.

The once low prevalence of non-insulin-dependent (Type 2) diabetes (NIDDM) in Eskimos and Indians has risen approximately fourfold over the past 30 years, suggesting the presence of a non-genetic factor affecting NIDDM prevalence. At the same time, traditional physical activities required of a subsistence (self-sufficiency) lifestyle have diminished. Since physical activity has been shown to prevent NIDDM in other populations, we performed a case-control study of physical activity and glucose intolerance in 666 Yup'ik Eskimos and Athabaskan Indians > or = 40 years old in 15 villages in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska. Self-administered questionnaires were used to determine whether subjects participated in a number of traditional activities and/or their modern counterpart (for example, dog sledding and riding motorized vehicles). Intensity values and a score were defined for the activities. Cases included known or newly discovered impaired glucose tolerance or NIDDM. Newly discovered cases were defined by oral glucose tolerance testing of those individuals were screening blood glucose values > or = 6.7 mmol l-1 by random capillary blood glucose testing. Cases included 11 newly discovered (1 with a history of IGT) and 26 known cases of NIDDM, and 17 newly discovered and 1 known cases of IGT. The results showed that, compared to a reference group with low-level physical activity, moderate level physical activity (odds ratio, OR, 0.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4-1.3) and high level activity (OR 0.2, CI 0.1-0.6) were associated with a lower prevalence of glucose intolerance, adjusted for age, ethnicity, body mass index, and sex.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2004

Can the Gail model be useful in American Indian and Alaska Native populations?

BACKGROUND: Very little is known about breast carcinoma risk factors for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women undergoing screening. The Gail model has been a useful tool for predicting the risk of breast carcinoma in several populations. It has not been applied systematically to AI/AN women. METHODS: The current study was a retrospective review of 1458 screening mammograms performed for AI/AN women. The authors applied the Gail model to estimate both absolute risk and relative risk for breast carcinoma for AI/AN women screened in South Dakota, Arizona, and Alaska. RESULTS: The mean age of the women was 52.4 years. The onset of menses was not significantly different than expected. The average age at first birth was 20 years, very few women were nulliparous, and few women were age > 30 years at first live birth. The proportion of women reporting a first- or second-degree relative with breast carcinoma was similar to the proportion in the general population. The results of the model indicated an overall average relative risk that ranged from 1.42 to 2.69 compared with white American women, depending on the model assumptions used. Using a modified Gail model and calculating an imputed absolute risk, the expected incidence of breast carcinoma in this population increased to rates of 170-180 per 100,000 in the next 10 years, a significant increase over the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-derived incidence rates from 1988 to 1992 of 31.6 per 100,000 for AI women in New Mexico and 78.9 per 100,000 for AN women. CONCLUSIONS: The model indicated a likelihood of increasing rates of breast carcinoma in the study population. The data obtained were useful in generating preliminary estimates of breast carcinoma risk in the study population, for which no prospective population survey has been completed. The inherent weaknesses in the current retrospective study indicated the need for a large-scale prospective data collection to confirm these exploratory findings.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

A survey of vocational rehabilitation counselors concerning American Indian and Alaska Native clients with alcohol and other drug abuse disorders.

Vocation rehabilitation (VR) counselors in states where many American Indians reside were questioned about the characteristics of their American Indian clients with alcoholism or drug abuse problems, and the kinds of services that were provided to them. A total of 124 counselors from 14 states responded to the survey. Twenty-seven of these respondents were employed in tribally operated VR projects in nine states.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Lower respiratory tract infections among american Indian and Alaska Native children and the general population of U.S. Children.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) cause substantial childhood morbidity. This study characterizes and compares LRTI-associated morbidity among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children and the general population of U.S. children. METHODS: Hospitalization and outpatient records with a diagnosis indicating LRTIs were evaluated for children aged younger than 5 years during 1990-2001. RESULTS: For 1999-2001, the LRTI-associated hospitalization rate was significantly higher for AI/AN children than for U.S. children (116.1 versus 63.2/1000, respectively), with the disparity being greater for infants than for 1- to 4-year-old children. Also the rate of LRTI-associated outpatient visits among AI/AN infants was higher than that for all U.S. infants (737.7 versus 207.2/1000, respectively). LRTI hospitalization and outpatient visit rates were highest in the Alaska and Southwest Indian Health Service regions. During 1990-2001, the LRTI hospitalization rate among AI/AN infants in the Alaska region and among the general U.S. infant population increased. Bronchiolitis-associated hospitalization rates increased for AI/AN and U.S. infants, whereas the pneumonia-associated hospitalization rate decreased among AI/AN infants and remained stable among U.S. infants. CONCLUSIONS: LRTIs continue to be an important cause of morbidity in children, especially among AI/AN infants in the Alaska and Southwest regions. Strategies to reduce LRTI hospitalizations and outpatient visits are warranted for all infants, but the greatest potential impact would be among AI/AN infants.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2004

Surveillance systems monitoring HIV/AIDS and HIV risk behaviors among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Few published reports describe patterns of occurrence of HIV/AIDS among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people nationally. Data from national surveillance systems were examined to describe the spread of HIV/AIDS and the prevalence of HIV-related risk behaviors among AI/AN people. These data indicate that HIV/AIDS is a growing problem among AI/AN people and that AI/AN youth and women are particularly vulnerable to the continued spread of HIV infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

California American Indian and Alaska natives tribal groups' care access and utilization of care: policy implications.

Background. We used the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to examine differences in cancer care access and utilization by subgroups of American Indian and Alaskan Natives (AIAN). Methods. The CHIS 2001 includes over 55,000 Californian households, with an oversampling of California American Indian, non-California AIAN, and unknown AIAN tribal groups. Results. We found significant differences among the 3 tribal subgroups for various measures of health care coverage and utilization. Conclusions. AIAN must be disaggregated to provide appropriate data for public health and policy making.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Changing identification among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

The census-enumerated American Indian population dispersed rapidly between 1930 and 1990. Changes in ethnic classification account for most of the change. In the 1980 count, 10 states with historically large Indian populations account for 53% of births of Indians between the ages of 10 and 80, compared with 72% of the first enumerations of the same cohorts. Migration further reduced the share of these states to 46% of Indian residents in these cohorts. Study of the dispersal of the Indian population should focus primarily on the new emergence of the expression of Indian identity, rather than on migration from former population centers.

Adolescent↗