Mass. tribes seen lagging in income, healthcare

[Waya]

The state Department of Public Health yesterday released its first study of the health of Massachusetts' estimated 20,000 American Indians, finding that they lag behind the general state population in healthiness, insurance coverage, and per capita income.

Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed reported being in poor or fair health, compared to 13 percent of the state overall. The obesity rate of adults in at least one tribe, the Mashpee Wampanoags, was 2.4 times higher than the rate of Massachusetts adults in general, the department said.

Poor education and poverty are associated with poorer health, the report said. The per capita income of American Indians was reported in the 2000 Census as $15,889 a year, 40 percent below the statewide average of $25,592. American Indians also reported not having health insurance and being unable to see a doctor because of cost at a rate twice that of the state as a whole.


More:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/11/17/mass_tribes_seen_lagging_in_income_healthcare/