Twenty Years of Research into the Health Impacts of Native-themed Mascots: A Scoping Review.

Abstract

Despite their recent high-profile removal by a handful of professional sports teams, Native-themed mascots continue to be a mainstay of professional, college, and youth athletics. To determine the extent of the literature on the health impacts on American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) as a result of Native-themed mascots, we conducted a scoping review of primary research articles, utilizing the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) research framework as a guide to define health impacts broadly to include impacts on determinants of health and health disparities. Three databases were utilized, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, and JSTOR, to identify the peer-reviewed literature for a twenty-year period that studied the health impacts of Native-themed mascots. We found 26 articles and books in the peer-reviewed literature and additional gray literature during the time period of 1999-2019. To better identify the relationship between Native-themed mascots and health impacts, we reviewed the articles by their focus on three groups: AI/ANs generally, AI/AN youth, and those that studied all races/ethnicities. The majority of research included in this review illustrates overall negative impacts of Native-themed mascots on health and its determinants that influence health and health disparities. Public health efforts should include review and replacement of harmful Native-themed mascots in professional and academic sports to avoid negative health impacts on AI/AN adults and youth.