Native American Kids 2002: Indian Children's Well-Being Indicators Data Book for 13 States

• NCJ Number: 206254
• Author(s): Angela A. Willeto Ph.D.
• Date Published: December 2002
• Length: 124 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Casey Family Programs; National Indian Child Welfare Assoc
• Sale Source: Casey Family Programs; National Indian Child Welfare Assoc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: See NCJ-206252 for 2001 report.

Annotation

Through the Native American Kids Well-Being Indicators Data Book Project, this report presents a literature review of 10 well-being indicators for American Indian and Alaska Native children and produces the American Indian/Alaska Native rates and percentages for 10 well-being indicators nationally and in 13 selected States for 2002.

Abstract

The third in a series under the ongoing Native American Kids Well-Being Indicators Data Book Project, this annual report addresses the question of the well-being of American Indian and Alaska Native children and youth. This report extends the reporting mechanism of the 10 well-being indicators to include 13 States with considerable American Indian and Alaska Native populations. These States are Alaska, Arizona, California, Minnesota, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin. The 10 well-being indicators comprise 2 main categories of health and social indicators with 5 thematic areas: births, mortality, education and employment, poverty, and family structure. The indicators are low birth weight, teen births, infant mortality, child deaths, teen deaths by accident, homicide and suicide, teens who are high school dropouts, teens who are not attending school and not working, children in poverty, children living with mothers who are not employed, and families with children headed by a single parent. The study utilized the 2002 KIDS COUNT Data Book: State Profiles of Child Well-Being as the model and attempted to reduce the gap in well-being indicators for Native American children. The major finding is that of the 10 indicators, Native American children are faring comparatively better than their mainstream counterparts in only 1, the low birthweight indictor. Comparisons at the State level show that in a few States, American Indian/Alaska Native rates are lower than their All Races rates, but in most cases, American Indian/Alaska Natives are significantly worse off. Tables and references