Introduction
Since the smallpox epidemic in the early 1800s, health promotion and disease prevention (HP/DP) have been central to national efforts to improve the health and wellness of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs or Native Americans) (Office of Minority Health, 2011). No other public health construct is integrated more broadly across the Indian healthcare system than HP/DP. This entry will briefly describe the health status of AI/ANs in the United States, Native health epistemologies that influence prevention, and several unique primary prevention efforts that are currently underway in Indian Country.
AI/AN Population
In 2010, 5.2 million adults (or about 1.7 % of the total adult population) are self-identified as AI/AN (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). Five hundred and sixty-five (565) tribes are currently recognized by the federal government (Federal Register, 2010). Additional tribes remain unrecognized or recognized only at the state level. The AI/AN population has...
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Rushing, S.C., Canniff, B., Gardner, W., Hoopes, M., Warren-Mears, V., Left Hand Bull–Delahunt, J. (2014). American Indians and Alaska Natives and Primary Prevention. In: Gullotta, T.P., Bloom, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5999-6_330
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