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Infectious Disease Hospitalizations Among American Indian/Alaska Native and Non-American Indian/Alaska Native Persons in Alaska, 2010-2011.

Authors :
Gounder PP
Holman RC
Seeman SM
Rarig AJ
McEwen M
Steiner CA
Bartholomew ML
Hennessy TW
Source :
Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) [Public Health Rep] 2017 Jan/Feb; Vol. 132 (1), pp. 65-75. Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 Dec 12.
Publication Year :
2017

Abstract

Objective: Reports about infectious disease (ID) hospitalization rates among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons have been constrained by data limited to the tribal health care system and by comparisons with the general US population. We used a merged state database to determine ID hospitalization rates in Alaska.<br />Methods: We combined 2010 and 2011 hospital discharge data from the Indian Health Service and the Alaska State Inpatient Database. We used the merged data set to calculate average annual age-adjusted and age-specific ID hospitalization rates for AI/AN and non-AI/AN persons in Alaska. We stratified the ID hospitalization rates by sex, age, and ID diagnosis.<br />Results: ID diagnoses accounted for 19% (6501 of 34 160) of AI/AN hospitalizations, compared with 12% (7397 of 62 059) of non-AI/AN hospitalizations. The average annual age-adjusted hospitalization rate was >3 times higher for AI/AN persons (2697 per 100 000 population) than for non-AI/AN persons (730 per 100 000 population; rate ratio = 3.7, P < .001). Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), which occurred in 38% (2486 of 6501) of AI/AN persons, was the most common reason for ID hospitalization. AI/AN persons were significantly more likely than non-AI/AN persons to be hospitalized for LRTI (rate ratio = 5.2, P < .001).<br />Conclusions: A substantial disparity in ID hospitalization rates exists between AI/AN and non-AI/AN persons, and the most common reason for ID hospitalization among AI/AN persons was LRTI. Public health programs and policies that address the risk factors for LRTI are likely to benefit AI/AN persons.<br />Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1468-2877
Volume :
132
Issue :
1
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
28005485
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354916679807