Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 13, 2007 14:41:52 GMT -5
Health problems pose challenge for Wampanoag
By ROBIN LORD
www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/healthproblems24.htm
<http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/healthproblems24.htm>
While members of the Mashpee Wampanoag have more than twice the obesity,
diabetes and smoking rates as other adults in Massachusetts, they are
almost twice as likely to lack health insurance, according to a 2002
survey that tribal council members say is still relevant.
Mashpee
Wampanoag health survey
Compared with other adults in the state, Mashpee Wampanoag adults in
2002 had:
2.4 times higher obesity rate.
2.6 times higher smoking rate.
Almost twice the diabetes rate.
1.4 times the high-blood pressure rate.
1.3 times the high-cholesterol rate.
Source: Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council
Compared with the general population, teen birth rates are higher and so
is drug and alcohol use among tribe members 18 and over, according to
the Mashpee Wampanoag Survey, conducted by the tribe's governing council
and the state Department of Public Health.
The Mashpee Wampanoag's new status as a federally recognized tribe will
help address the health issues, but it will require casting a broad net
over all areas of tribal life - from housing to job opportunities,
Tribal Council Chairman Glenn Marshall said this week.
Health often takes a backseat when someone is trying to make ends meet,
he said.
''Some people are just living day-to-day and are worried about what's
put in front of them today,'' he said.
The tribe will complete its final 90-day waiting period for recognition
on May 22. If there is no challenge, it will be officially recognized by
the federal government as a sovereign nation.
Related:
Wampanoag resource portal
<http://www.capecodonline.com/special/tribalrecog/> It will then be
able to tap into federal aid for housing, health care and education
funds. But, the earliest any grants can be secured is next year, since
final recognition will come too late to file for this year, Marshall
said.
A November state health department report based on a survey of American
Indians throughout the state, shows similar results to the 2002 Mashpee
survey. However, the earlier Wampanoag survey reported significantly
higher obesity and smoking rates than did the state study.
Both Mashpee tribal health officials and state experts surmise that the
results of the 2002 survey may be more accurate because the interviews
were face-to-face. Much of the data for the state's study last year was
gathered through telephone interviews. Only five of those interviewed in
November were from Barnstable County, and one was from Dukes County,
where the Aquinnah Wampanoag reside.
In the Mashpee survey, interviewers from the tribal council talked to
324 fellow members 18 years and older, or about 22 percent of the tribe,
about their health.
Results showed that the percentage of people 18 and older who reported
being in poor health was twice that of the general population in the
state. The percentage who reported they were in poor emotional health
was 1.5 times higher than the rest of the state.
Nearly 75 percent of those interviewed said they had been told by a
health-care provider they were suffering from depression, said Myrna
Nuey, a member of the tribal council who helped put the survey together.
Diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity are the most prevalent chronic
issues among tribal members, the report said. About 60 percent of those
interviewed said they ate a high-fat diet, a factor in all three
conditions. About 30 percent reported they did not exercise at least
three times a week, the minimum health experts say is necessary to
improve one's health.
''It's a lack of education and it's also tribal life. Our eating habits,
our metabolism, it all plays a part,'' said Nuey. ''Its just not high on
our priority list, which probably it should be for the sake of our
future.''
Traditional native food is rich in fat and protein, and many Mashpee
Wampanoag who suffer from high cholesterol are predisposed to the
condition, she said.
American Indians in all states face greater health and economic
challenges, said Joseph P. Kalt, co-director of the Harvard Project on
American Indian Economic Development, and professor of international
political economy at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
In the Harvard Project's new book, ''The State of the Native Nations,''
due to be released in May, Kalt and co-authors Stephen Cornell and
Manley Begay point out that poverty, unemployment, and poor health have
dogged the American Indian population for more than a century.
''The basic thrust of our research says that with standard communicable
diseases, (American Indians) look quite similar to the rest of the
country,'' he said during a telephone interview from Tucson, Ariz.
recently. ''The diseases of lifestyle, like obesity and diabetes, those
are where you see the negative and discouraging statistics.''
But, Kalt said a new day is dawning. Ever since the 1980s, when the
federal government began to allow tribes more self-determination, the
economic picture has improved, he said.
<http://oascentral.capecodonline.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.cct.\
com/news/articles/cctimes/173376555/Middle/Ottaway/CCT_0032_M_CapeCodVie\
w/CCT_0032_M_CapeCodView.gif/64343837356266393435653033383230?> While
American Indians' incomes remain on average less than half of the U.S.
average, they have been growing three times as fast as the rest of
Americans over the last decade, he said. At that rate, it will take
another 50 years to catch up, but it points to the success of letting
tribes become accountable for themselves, Kalt said.
Mashpee Wampanoag tribal members' economic situations, at least by one
measure, improved slightly in the 10-year Census period between 1990 and
2000. In 1990, 5.5 percent were living below the poverty line, while 4.5
percent were in 2000.
By ROBIN LORD
www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/healthproblems24.htm
<http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/healthproblems24.htm>
While members of the Mashpee Wampanoag have more than twice the obesity,
diabetes and smoking rates as other adults in Massachusetts, they are
almost twice as likely to lack health insurance, according to a 2002
survey that tribal council members say is still relevant.
Mashpee
Wampanoag health survey
Compared with other adults in the state, Mashpee Wampanoag adults in
2002 had:
2.4 times higher obesity rate.
2.6 times higher smoking rate.
Almost twice the diabetes rate.
1.4 times the high-blood pressure rate.
1.3 times the high-cholesterol rate.
Source: Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council
Compared with the general population, teen birth rates are higher and so
is drug and alcohol use among tribe members 18 and over, according to
the Mashpee Wampanoag Survey, conducted by the tribe's governing council
and the state Department of Public Health.
The Mashpee Wampanoag's new status as a federally recognized tribe will
help address the health issues, but it will require casting a broad net
over all areas of tribal life - from housing to job opportunities,
Tribal Council Chairman Glenn Marshall said this week.
Health often takes a backseat when someone is trying to make ends meet,
he said.
''Some people are just living day-to-day and are worried about what's
put in front of them today,'' he said.
The tribe will complete its final 90-day waiting period for recognition
on May 22. If there is no challenge, it will be officially recognized by
the federal government as a sovereign nation.
Related:
Wampanoag resource portal
<http://www.capecodonline.com/special/tribalrecog/> It will then be
able to tap into federal aid for housing, health care and education
funds. But, the earliest any grants can be secured is next year, since
final recognition will come too late to file for this year, Marshall
said.
A November state health department report based on a survey of American
Indians throughout the state, shows similar results to the 2002 Mashpee
survey. However, the earlier Wampanoag survey reported significantly
higher obesity and smoking rates than did the state study.
Both Mashpee tribal health officials and state experts surmise that the
results of the 2002 survey may be more accurate because the interviews
were face-to-face. Much of the data for the state's study last year was
gathered through telephone interviews. Only five of those interviewed in
November were from Barnstable County, and one was from Dukes County,
where the Aquinnah Wampanoag reside.
In the Mashpee survey, interviewers from the tribal council talked to
324 fellow members 18 years and older, or about 22 percent of the tribe,
about their health.
Results showed that the percentage of people 18 and older who reported
being in poor health was twice that of the general population in the
state. The percentage who reported they were in poor emotional health
was 1.5 times higher than the rest of the state.
Nearly 75 percent of those interviewed said they had been told by a
health-care provider they were suffering from depression, said Myrna
Nuey, a member of the tribal council who helped put the survey together.
Diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity are the most prevalent chronic
issues among tribal members, the report said. About 60 percent of those
interviewed said they ate a high-fat diet, a factor in all three
conditions. About 30 percent reported they did not exercise at least
three times a week, the minimum health experts say is necessary to
improve one's health.
''It's a lack of education and it's also tribal life. Our eating habits,
our metabolism, it all plays a part,'' said Nuey. ''Its just not high on
our priority list, which probably it should be for the sake of our
future.''
Traditional native food is rich in fat and protein, and many Mashpee
Wampanoag who suffer from high cholesterol are predisposed to the
condition, she said.
American Indians in all states face greater health and economic
challenges, said Joseph P. Kalt, co-director of the Harvard Project on
American Indian Economic Development, and professor of international
political economy at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
In the Harvard Project's new book, ''The State of the Native Nations,''
due to be released in May, Kalt and co-authors Stephen Cornell and
Manley Begay point out that poverty, unemployment, and poor health have
dogged the American Indian population for more than a century.
''The basic thrust of our research says that with standard communicable
diseases, (American Indians) look quite similar to the rest of the
country,'' he said during a telephone interview from Tucson, Ariz.
recently. ''The diseases of lifestyle, like obesity and diabetes, those
are where you see the negative and discouraging statistics.''
But, Kalt said a new day is dawning. Ever since the 1980s, when the
federal government began to allow tribes more self-determination, the
economic picture has improved, he said.
<http://oascentral.capecodonline.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.cct.\
com/news/articles/cctimes/173376555/Middle/Ottaway/CCT_0032_M_CapeCodVie\
w/CCT_0032_M_CapeCodView.gif/64343837356266393435653033383230?> While
American Indians' incomes remain on average less than half of the U.S.
average, they have been growing three times as fast as the rest of
Americans over the last decade, he said. At that rate, it will take
another 50 years to catch up, but it points to the success of letting
tribes become accountable for themselves, Kalt said.
Mashpee Wampanoag tribal members' economic situations, at least by one
measure, improved slightly in the 10-year Census period between 1990 and
2000. In 1990, 5.5 percent were living below the poverty line, while 4.5
percent were in 2000.