Health of Papago Indian Children

Abstract

T HE HEALTH of the American Indian is a matter of increasing concern. Considerable evidence supports the impression that health-related problems are contributing significantly to the Indians' prolonged dependency upon government services. Knowledge of developmental and disease patterns of American Indian children is basic to the understanding of their medical needs. Several studies based on a review of the birth records of all American Indian infants born in Public Health Service facilities have documented various aspects of the disease and development patterns of the newborn (1-5). 'This study was designed to follow up the results of examinations of newborns and obtain information on geneitic and environmental factors which may be important contributors to the mortality and morbidity experienced by Indian children. In view of the approximately 10,000 Indian births each year and the wide dispersion of the various hospitals, only a selected group could be examined in the detail desired. The Papago tribe was chosen for several reasons. Their uniform socioeconomic conditions, preservation of traditional culture patterns, and a relative absence of the confounding influence of miscegenation were each important considerations. More-over, the availability of extensive records of lineage made possible additional genetic studies which would have been impossible in any other group (6-8). Three major concerns influenced the collection of data on the Papago: (a) the health status of infants from birth to 1 year of age, (b) the health status of school children, and (c) the hea,lth consequences of their culture and family structure.