Research report: California Health Interview Survey American Indian and Alaska Native Follow-On Study

This California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) follow-on study provides population- representative estimates of cultural practices, chronic conditions, health behaviors, mental health, alcohol use, and drug use among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) adults living in California.

UCLA Fielding's Dr. Ninez Ponce, professor and chair in the Department of Health Policy and Management, serves as director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR); CHPR is the home of CHIS, led in turn by survey director Todd Hughes.

This CHIS follow-on study weighted findings for 764 self-identified AIAN adults ages 18 and older address existing gaps in statewide data on AIAN communities. The findings underscore the importance of regionally tailored and identity-specific public health strategies, culturally appropriate approaches to health promotion, and continued investment in population- representative AIAN data collection.

Note: Due to the smaller sample size, estimates in this report for measures also available in the main CHIS survey (e.g., high blood pressure) are presented for completeness but are less precise than those obtained from the main CHIS survey. For these measures, please refer to the AskCHIS™ Dashboard for more precise estimates for AIAN adults in California.

Findings: 

• Statewide, approximately half of AIAN adults (50.3%) reported consuming, preparing, or gathering traditional foods, and nearly 1 in 3 AIAN adults (32.0%) reported using ceremonial or traditional medicines for guidance or prayer or other reasons.
• Statewide, more than 4 in 5 AIAN adults (82.1%) had received a COVID-19 vaccine, but less than half of those who had received a COVID-19 vaccine received a booster in the past year (41.9%).
• Nearly half of AIAN adults who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, or another nonheterosexual identity (including Two-Spirit) reported a depression diagnosis compared to less than one-third of their heterosexual counterparts (49.1% vs. 29.2%).

This research report is one in a series of studies of California's AIAN population; recent analyses in the series include:

• American Indians and Alaska Natives in California face barriers to receiving needed healthcare, UCLA study finds; and
• New research breaks down disparities among American Indian and Alaska Native adults, urges Tribal partnership, and state and local investment in culturally responsive programs

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