First Contact Colonial Era Native American Tribes Become Visible Through the Collection of Health Status Data
Sufficient health data on marginalized First Contact Native American Colonial Era Tribes (NACET) along the U.S. east coast remains unavailable, leaving their health status and needs poorly understood. This data gap challenges health systems working to develop effective health promotion, prevention, and care programs for these communities. To help close this gap, this study collected health status data from Native Americans within these marginalized tribes.
Using a mixed-methods design, the study surveyed 125 participants with a tribal-specific adaptation of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Twenty-five participants also took part in audio-recorded interviews exploring their cultural knowledge, beliefs, values, and practices, analyzed using the Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) method.
Findings identified diabetes mellitus and coronary conditions as the most prevalent chronic health concerns, with lack of insurance emerging as a critical barrier to accessing care. Qualitative analysis revealed four central themes: Cultural Knowledge, Cultural Beliefs, Cultural Values, and Cultural Practices; spanning sixteen subthemes including tribal language, ancestral origins, oral history, spirituality, connectedness, and storytelling.
The study underscores that understanding gender relations within specific social contexts is essential to addressing health disparities, as these relations align closely with social determinants of health and community resilience.