{"id":1064,"date":"2016-10-10T11:31:44","date_gmt":"2016-10-10T16:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=1064"},"modified":"2016-10-10T11:31:44","modified_gmt":"2016-10-10T16:31:44","slug":"indigenous-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2016\/10\/10\/indigenous-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous Health"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sequim<\/a>
Late afternoon at Sequim Bay, Washington (as seen from the Jamestown S’Klallam Indian Reservation). Photo by Jan Tik, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today some cities are celebrating\u00a0<\/span>Indigenous People\u2019s Day<\/span><\/a> in an attempt to counter the celebration of Columbus\u2019 arrival in the Americas that led to years of disease, death, and the removal of native peoples from their homes. One thing to reflect on is how this turbulent past has had lasting health effects for Native Americans. According to the Indian Health Service (IHS),\u00a0<\/span>Native Americans and Alaskan Natives <\/span><\/a>have a lower life expectancy than any other\u00a0US racial group and they are more likely to die from\u00a0heart\u00a0disease, cirrhosis, and suicide.<\/span><\/p>\n

Social science researchers point to a number of social and historical factors that help explain the high suicide rates for Native Americans, including racial discrimination, a long history of colonial exploitation, poor health outcomes, and poor communities. Many of these communities also lack access to quality reproductive healthcare, a disparity that researchers associate with high rates of c-sections among Native American women giving birth. <\/span><\/h5>\n