The health of American Indian and Alaska Native women

By a number of quantity and quality of life measurements, the health and well-being of many American Indian and Alaska Native women falls short of that reported for other women in the United States. Poor socioeconomic conditions, lack of education, cultural barriers, and other factors (some not easily measured) contribute to the enduring poor health status of this population-despite the availability of free health care for many. Free health care alone does not promise a healthy population, especially when the types of free health care are limited, inadequately funded, or have limited focus on preventive care. This paper attempts to pinpoint some of these issues as it relates to the health status of American Indian and Alaska Native women.