"This book serves as a much-needed source of information on the social and health issues that impact the health of Native American women in the United States, accompanied by invaluable historical, cultural, and other contextual data about this sociocultural group.

The Department of Health and Human Services reported that Native American women are second only to African American women in terms of death rate due to homicide and drug abuse. Psychiatric disorders such as depression and obesity-related diseases like diabetes are also common among Native populations. Not surprisingly, poverty, limited access to preventive health care, and some cultural barriers are at the heart of many of these persistent health disparities.

Health and Social Issues of Native American Women is the first book that specifically explores and discusses health and related social issues within the world of Native American women, providing strong historical and cultural perspectives as well as other contextual information that is often missing or misrepresented in other works about Native American women.

Comprising contributions from mostly Native American women scholars, the work presents key background information on native women's health, health care delivery systems, and sociocultural history, and its chapters address the changing role of native women in Alaska and other parts of Indian country. Each author taps her specific area of expertise and knowledge to spotlight specific native women's health problems, such as nutrition, aging, domestic violence, diabetes, and substance abuse."--pub. desc.