Death rates for American Indians and Alaska Natives are nearly 50 percent greater than rates among non-Hispanic Whites, according to a series of reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the data, cancer is the leading cause of death among Native Americans. Heart disease comes in second.

Death rates from injuries were higher among Native Americans than non-Hispanic Whites, the CDC said. Death rates from motor vehicle crashes, poisoning, and falls were two times higher.

Native American infants also died at higher rates than non-Hispanic White infants, according to the reports. Native infants were four times more likely to die from pneumonia and influenza.

“The new detailed examination of death records offers the most accurate and current information available on deaths among the American Indian and Alaska Native populations,” David Espey, the acting director of CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, said today. “Now, we can better characterize and track the health status of these populations – a critical step to address health disparities.”

The reports were based on an examination of death records from 1990 through 2009. Data was linked to the Indian Health Service to ensure greater accuracy.

“The Indian Health Service is grateful for this important research and encouraged about its potential to help guide efforts to improve health and wellness among American Indians and Alaska Natives,” said Yvette Roubideaux, the acting director of IHS. “Having more accurate data along with our understanding of the contributing social factors can lead to more aggressive public health interventions that we know can make a difference.”

The reports are being published in the American Journal of Public Health. Citations follow:

Suicide Among Young Alaska Native Men: Community Risk Factors and Alcohol Control

Matthew Berman

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e7

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American Indian and Alaska Native Infant and Pediatric Mortality, United States, 1999–2009

Charlene A. Wong, Francine C. Gachupin, Robert C. Holman, Marian F. MacDorman, James E. Cheek, Steve Holve, and Rosalyn J. Singleton

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e9

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Lung Cancer Deaths Among American Indians and Alaska Natives, 1990–2009

Marcus Plescia, Sarah Jane Henley, Anne Pate, J. Michael Underwood, and Kris Rhodes

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e8

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All-Cause, Cardiovascular, and Cancer Mortality in Western Alaska Native People: Western Alaska Tribal Collaborative for Health (WATCH)

Barbara V. Howard, Jesse S. Metzger, Kathryn R. Koller, Stacey E. Jolly, Elvin D. Asay, Hong Wang, Abbie W. Wolfe, Scarlett E. Hopkins, Cristiane Kaufmann, Terry W. Raymer, Brian Trimble, Ellen M. Provost, Sven O. E. Ebbesson, Melissa A. Austin, William James Howard, Jason G. Umans, and Bert B. Boyer

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e7

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Period Life Tables for the Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native Population, 2007–2009

Elizabeth Arias, Jiaquan Xu, and Melissa A. Jim

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e8

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Mortality Caused by Chronic Liver Disease Among American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States, 1999–2009

Anil Suryaprasad, Kathy K. Byrd, John T. Redd, David G. Perdue, M. Michele Manos, and Brian J. McMahon

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e9

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Linkages to Improve Mortality Data for American Indians and Alaska Natives: A New Model for Death Reporting?

Robert N. Anderson, Glenn Copeland, and John Mosely Hayes

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e5

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Trends and Disparities in Heart Disease Mortality Among American Indians/Alaska Natives, 1990–2009

Mark Veazie, Carma Ayala, Linda Schieb, Shifan Dai, Jeffrey A. Henderson, and Pyone Cho

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e9

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Methods for Improving the Quality and Completeness of Mortality Data for American Indians and Alaska Natives

David K. Espey, Melissa A. Jim, Thomas B. Richards, Crystal Begay, Don Haverkamp, and Diana Roberts

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e9

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Infectious Disease Mortality Among American Indians and Alaska Natives, 1999–2009

James E. Cheek, Robert C. Holman, John T. Redd, Dana Haberling, and Thomas W. Hennessy

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e7

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Adapting to the Effects of Climate Change on Inuit Health

James D. Ford, Ashlee Cunsolo Willox, Susan Chatwood, Christopher Furgal, Sherilee Harper, Ian Mauro, and Tristan Pearce

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e9

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Pneumonia and Influenza Mortality Among American Indian and Alaska Native People, 1990–2009

Amy V. Groom, Thomas W. Hennessy, Rosalyn J. Singleton, Jay C. Butler, Stephen Holve, and James E. Cheek

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e10

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Leading Causes of Death and All-Cause Mortality in American Indians and Alaska Natives

David K. Espey, Melissa A. Jim, Nathaniel Cobb, Michael Bartholomew, Tom Becker, Don Haverkamp, and Marcus Plescia

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e9

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Effectiveness of Circle of Life, an HIV-Preventive Intervention for American Indian Middle School Youths: A Group Randomized Trial in a Northern Plains Tribe

Carol E. Kaufman, Nancy Rumbaugh Whitesell, Ellen M. Keane, Jennifer A. Desserich, Cindy Giago, Angela Sam, and Christina M. Mitchell

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e7

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Unintentional Injury Mortality Among American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States, 1990–2009

Tierney Murphy, Pallavi Pokhrel, Anne Worthington, Holly Billie, Mack Sewell, and Nancy Bill

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e11

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Community-Based Surveillance and Case Management for Suicide Prevention: An American Indian Tribally Initiated System

Mary F. Cwik, Allison Barlow, Novalene Goklish, Francene Larzelere-Hinton, Lauren Tingey, Mariddie Craig, Ronnie Lupe, and John Walkup

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e6

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Racial Misclassification of American Indians and Alaska Natives by Indian Health Service Contract Health Service Delivery Area

Melissa A. Jim, Elizabeth Arias, Dean S. Seneca, Megan J. Hoopes, Cheyenne C. Jim, Norman J. Johnson, and Charles L. Wiggins

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e8

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Diabetes-Related Mortality Among American Indians and Alaska Natives, 1990–2009

Pyone Cho, Linda S. Geiss, Nilka Rios Burrows, Diana L. Roberts, Ann K. Bullock, and Michael E. Toedt

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e8

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Perspectives on Mortality Data From the Indian Health Service

Yvette Roubideaux and Susan V. Karol

American Journal of Public Health 0 0:0, e1-e1

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