Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:06 — 38.5MB) | Embed
A new study finds the death rate for Native Americans — which was already higher than other groups — is much higher than previously thought. The analysis just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) finds the gap in life expectancy between Native Americans and Alaska Natives and the national average is almost three times wider than what official statistics say it is. The researchers point to the fact that more than 40% of death certificates misidentify Native Americans and Alaska Natives. One of the study’s researchers says the discrepancies indicate “statistical erasure” in routine public health data has obscured the severity of a mortality crisis among Native people. We’ll get a handle on the new study and what is behind the numbers.
GUESTS
Michael Bird (Kewa Pueblo and Ohkay Owingeh), past president of the American Public Health Association and past national consultant for AARP
Stephanie Woolhandler, distinguished professor at the City University of New York – Hunter College
Dr. Alec Calac (Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians), American Indian Health Policy Scholar and medical student at University of California-San Diego
Break 1 Music: Stomp Dance (song) George Hunter (artist) Haven (album)
Break 2 Music: Maybe (song) Mogley & the Zoniez (artist) Better Late Than Never (album)
Remarkable statements and assessments by the guests on this show about these troubling statistics.*
I was looking to retrieve the JAMA article from a library when I saw this one available via Open Access:
https://www.annualreviews.org/docserver/fulltext/publhealth/46/1/annurev-publhealth-071723-110657.pdf?expires=1750458611&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=05AF9630E2B1F8DECD9D112E9AD29735
Try not to be shocked . . . the authors say the issue is “settler colonialism”!
Anyway, can’t thank you enough for the important topics and guests lately; especially Juneteenth and the Copper Mine issue (May 20th).
and can’t believe how many times the guests on NAC say, “What a great question” while I’m also thinking it.
*hmmmm, wonder why the term ‘troubling statistics’ seems to conjure up the phrase ‘peculiar institution’ in my brain…