Status of Alaska Natives Report
www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/Publications/aknativestatusch3.pdf
• Rates of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) increased sharply. FASD among
Alaska Native children increased from 2.5 cases per 1,000 births in the late 1980s to 5
per 1,000 in the late 1990s. FASD is many times more common among Alaska
Natives than other Alaskans and other Americans.
• Alaska Native children are far more likely to be neglected or abused than other
Alaska children. From 1997-2001, more than half the neglected or abused children
were Alaska Native. Analysts say alcohol plays a part in 80 percent of child abuse.
• Alaska Native women are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault far more
often than other Alaska women. From 2000-2003, 36 percent of the victims of
domestic violence and 44 percent of the victims of sexual assault were Native,
although they make up only about 19 percent of adult Alaskans. Experts say alcohol
contributes to more than 80 percent of domestic violence and sexual assault.
• More than a third of Alaska’s prison inmates are Alaska Natives, although they
make up only about a fifth of Alaskans. The number of Native prisoners increased 50
percent from 1993-2002, a rate considerably faster than overall Native population
growth. Native prisoners are mainly men ages 20 to 49. Law enforcement authorities
link a large share of crime to alcohol.
• Sniffing fumes of gasoline, glue, and other substances remains a widespread
problem among all Alaska teenagers, but many rural residents and health officials
believe the problem is worse in remote villages. The 1990s saw establishment of
Alaska’s first treatment center specifically for inhalant abusers.
• About 40 percent of Alaska Native adults smoke, compared with about 25 percent
among other Alaska adults. Unlike the smoking rate among Native teenagers, which
declined recently, the rate among adults stayed about the same. Smoking causes most
lung cancer, a big share of emphysema, and various heart problems.
• Obesity among Native adults increased sharply in the past decade. The percentage
of Native adults considered obese went from less than 20 percent in the early 1990s to
nearly 30 percent a decade later.
• Diabetes soared among Alaska Natives in the past 15 years. In 1985, about 16 of
every 1,000 Natives had diabetes—about half the rate among other Americans. By
1999, diabetes among Natives had doubled, to 31.4 cases per 1,000—above the U.S.
rate of 30.1.
• Heart disease is now as widespread among Alaska Natives as among other
Alaskans. Twenty years ago, heart disease was less common among Alaska Natives.
• Alaska Natives are still more likely than other Americans to die at all ages, but the
biggest gaps are among young adults. In 1999, Alaska Natives ages 25 to 34 were
nearly four times more likely to die than white Alaskans their age.
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