Alcohol Dependence Among Alaskan Natives and Their Health Care Utilization

• Main Authors: Victor M. Hesselbrock, Michie N. Hesselbrock, Bernard Segal
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2003
• Subjects: eskimo*; Alaska
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.375.8964; http://www.downstate.edu/hbnl/documents/hesselbrock_2003-AlcoholDependenceAmongAlaskanNativesandtheirHealthCareUtilization.pdf

have experienced significant problems with alcohol since its introduction into their cultures by the early European settlers. Morbidity and mortality rates attributable to alcohol abuse among the Native American population are at epidemic levels within certain segments of this population. As in the majority population, alcohol abuse substantially contributes to rates of death from all types of accidents, liver disease (including cirrhosis), homicide, suicide, other types of psychiatric illness, and fetal alcohol effects and fetal alcohol syndrome (Young, 1991). With a Native American/Alaskan population of approximately 2 million people representing more than 300 distinct tribal and ethnic groupings, the magnitude of the problem is quite large. The term Alaska Natives often collectively refers to three indigenous and linguistically distinct groups: Eskimos, Indians