RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS, HEALTH-STATUS, AND LIFE-STYLE PRACTICES OF AMERICAN-INDIANS - EVIDENCE FROM A PLAINS RESERVATIONPOPULATION

This paper presents information on the prevalence of a variety of heal th behaviors and health conditions on an American Indian reservation i n the Plains region of the western United States. In addition, data fr om two non-Indian comparison groups were used to examine the extent to which differences in health status and health behaviors between India ns and non-Indians could be explained by differences in socioeconomic status. The American Indian data were from a survey conducted in 1988 during an evaluation of a local community-based health promotion progr am, part of the Kaiser Family Foundation's Community Health Promotion Grants Program. The comparison groups were 12 communities in Californi a surveyed in evaluating the Community Health Promotion Grants Program and three Plains States participating in the Behavioral Risk Factor S urveillance Survey. The results show that the higher prevalences of ri sk-taking behavior among Indians and their poorer self-reported health status remained after adjustment for socioeconomic status. Also, amon g Indians, higher levels of income and education were not associated w ith improved self-reported health status and lower prevalence of tobac co use, as was the case with the comparison groups. The higher prevale nces of risk-taking behaviors and ill health among American Indians re siding on one reservation, even among those with higher socioeconomic status, suggests a need for the investigation of other social and envi ronmental influences.