NCJ Number
206252
Date Published
December 2001
Length
71 pages
Annotation
This study provides a comprehensive overview of the 10 well-being indicators from a national perspective on American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
Abstract
In 2000, the first report on Native American children and Indian child well-being indicators revealed a gap in the professional literature on these indicators and recommended continuation of the research to further explore the nature of Native children’s well-being indicators. This 2001 report reviewed and evaluated the 10 well-being indicators and presented the existing material on Native children and youth. The 10 well-being indicators are: (1) low birth weight babies; (2) infant mortality rates; (3) teen birth rates; (4) teens who have dropped out of school; (5) children living in poverty; (6) child death rate, (7) teen deaths by accident, homicide, and suicide; (8) teens who are not attending school and not working; (9) children living with parents who do not have full-time, year-round employment; and (10) families with children headed by a single parent. These 10 indicators have not been presented in other national resources for American Indians and Alaskan Natives. The indicators are categorized into six themes: infants, teens, poverty, mortality, family employment, and family structure. Findings indicate that of the 10 indicators, compared to the general United States population, American Indians are doing well in only one: low infant birth weight. Consequently, Native American children and youth are not doing very well in 9 out of the 10 indicators. In addition, after a Native infant is born, all encounters along the developmental life span or birth to early adulthood present extreme barriers and difficulties. This report also gives practice and policy recommendations and ideas for future research and discusses the strengths and limitations of the study. Tables and references