A new study from Boston University highlights significant underreporting of mortality and life expectancy disparities for Native Americans, revealing that their life expectancy is 72.7 years, lower than the national average by 6.5 years. The study, using data from the 2008 American Community Survey and CDC records, uncovered that nearly 41% of AI/AN deaths were misclassified as 'White', contributing to a misleading representation of health outcomes. Adjustments made for these misclassifications show a mortality rate 42% higher than previously reported, underscoring systemic issues in public health data collection.
The findings of this study reveal that systemic misclassification is further exacerbating existing health disparities, leading to a tragic underrepresentation of the true mortality rates for American Indian and Alaska Native individuals.
This groundbreaking research highlights the critical need to accurately reflect the mortality and life expectancy of AI/AN populations to better address public health concerns and policy interventions.
#native-american-health #mortality-disparities #public-health-research #racial-misclassification #life-expectancy
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