Prevalence of chronic disease risk and protective behaviors among American Indian women living on the Hopi reservation

PURPOSE: There is a growing need for disease risk factor data for various chronic diseases among American Indian (AI) populations. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of disease risk and protective behaviors among AI women living on the Hopi reservation. METHODS: 559 randomly selected AI women 18-89 years of age completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire which included questions on smoking, alcohol consumption, weight, height, and self-identified practices to keep healthy. RESULTS: The proportions of smoking and alcohol consumption were low with only 5.4% women reported currently smoking and 23.1% reported consuming any alcohol. Both these risk factors significantly decreased with age and significantly increased with higher education. The proportions who were overweight (body mass index (BMI) 27.3-32.2) and obese (BMI greater than or equal to 32.3) were 36.2% and 27.0%, respectively, and were highest in the ages 25-64 years. Over 80% of women reported practicing behaviors to keep healthy. Significantly higher proportions of older women reported practicing behaviors to keep healthy compared with younger women. CONCLUSIONS: To develop and evaluate programs aimed at decreasing rates of chronic diseases among AI populations a disease risk factor surveillance system needs to be implemented by region and tribe. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.