Health Risks in American Indian Adolescents: A Descriptive Study of a Rural, Non-Reservation

Objective: To identify health risks among a rural, non-reservation group of American Indian adolescents. Methods: A non-reservation sample of 243 American Indian students from a total sample of 1,815 students in a southwestern state completed health-risk screenings in the public schools. The students were between 14 and 18 years of age and in grades 9 through 12. Archival survey data were analyzed by age, gender, and race. Results: Student reports of health-risk behaviors in the areas of physical health, substance use, emotional health, risk of injury, perceived grades, and academic expectations were examined. The majority of study participants reported average or below levels of health risks. Conclusions: Non-reservation American Indian students have average or better health habits and expect to continue their educations beyond high school. There are some differences by gender and age. Key words: health risk; American Indian; adolescents. In the United States, there are wide disparities be-tween the health status and practices of ethnic mi-nority populations and the majority population. The predominant health problems among American In