New Study Finds Underestimated Mortality Disparities Among American Indian and Alaska Native Persons

Key Points

Question: What is the life expectancy of US residents who self-identify as American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), and does inaccurate designation of race on death certificates cause official statistics to underestimate AI/AN mortality?

Findings: In this nationally representative cohort study using data from 2008 to 2019, life expectancy of self-identified non-Hispanic AI/AN individuals was 72.7 years, 6.5 years less than the US average. The AI/AN vs US average life expectancy gap was 2.9-fold larger than that observed in unadjusted official statistics based on race and ethnicity recorded in death certificates.

Meaning: The life expectancy gap between AI/AN individuals and other US residents is large and underestimated in official statist

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