Analysis of Health Statistics for Status Indians in British Columbia 1991 - 1998

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Executive Summary

This report presents summaries of birth-related and mortality measures as health status indicators for B.C.'s Status Indian population. Data from 1991 to 1998 was analyzed and comparisons were made between four geographic areas of the province, and to 'all other' B.C. residents (all residents who are not Status Indian). All rates and counts referred to in the analysis are from supporting tables or appendices presented in the report.

Highlights of Status Indian Population Estimates

• In 1998, one in 30 B.C. residents was a Status Indian.

• The Status Indian population is younger than other B.C. residents:
  • In 1998, the average age in the Status Indian population was 28.3 years. This was more than 8 years younger than average age of 36.8 years for other B.C. residents.

  • Children and youth under 20 years of age made up more than one-third of the Status Indian population, but only one-quarter of all the population of other B.C. residents.

  • Seniors (65 years of age or older) made up less than five percent of the Status Indians population, but 13% of the population of other B.C. residents.

  Highlights of Birth-Related Statistics

  • In the eight year period, 24,159 Status Indian babies were born in the province. Each year, there were approximately 3,000 Status Indian live births, or 25.1 births for every 1,000 Status Indian residents. This was more than twice the live birth rate for other B.C. residents. Although provincially one in every 15 live births was a Status Indian child, the proportion ranged from a high of one in three births in the North West area to a low of one in 24 births in the South Mainland area.

  • Generally, Status Indian mothers tended to be younger than other B.C. mothers. More than three quarters of Status Indian births were to young mothers under age 30, while among other B.C. residents approximately one half of live births were under 30.

  • In the Status Indian population, the teen mother birth rate was four and a half times higher than the rate for other B.C. residents. Over the eight year period, 19% of Status Indian births and 4% of births to other B.C. residents were to teenage mothers, and one out of every four teenage mothers in the province was a Status Indian. The teenage mother birth rates decreased steadily between 1991 and 1998, for both the Status Indian population and other B.C. residents.

  • The rate of cesarean section deliveries was almost 25% lower in the Status Indian population.

  • Approximately 6% of Status Indian births had a low birth weight (under 2500 grams) and approximately 9% were premature births (gestational age less than 37 weeks at birth).

  Highlights of Infant Mortality Statistics

  • Between 1991 and 1998, there were 274 deaths in the province of Status Indian infants under one year of age. One out of every seven deaths of children under one year of age was a Status Indian child. For the eight years, there were 11.3 infant deaths for every 1,000 Status Indian births, more than double the rate for other B.C. residents.

  • There was a significant decrease in infant mortality in the Status Indian population in the last four years from 45 in 1995 to 14 deaths in 1998. In that period, infant deaths also decreased among other B.C. residents.

  • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) was the leading cause of infant mortality in the Status Indian population, accounting for 40% of all Status Indian infant deaths. The infant mortality rate for SIDS in the Status Indian population was almost seven times the rate for all other B.C. residents.

  Highlights of Mortality Statistics

  • In the 1991-1998 period, one out of every 37 deaths in the province was a Status Indian, for a total of 5,680 Status Indian deaths over the eight years.

  • The average age at death among Status Indians was approximately 52 years compared to an average of 69 years for other B.C. residents. The differences by age groups was more striking. Deaths among children and youth (under age 20) accounted for approximately 10% of Status Indian deaths but less than two percent of deaths among other B.C. residents. The opposite pattern was seen in the older age groups: seniors (age 65 or older) accounted for just over a third of Status Indian deaths but more than three quarters of deaths of other residents.

  • The 1991-1998 Age Standardized Mortality Rate (ASMR) for the Status Indian population was 114.6 deaths per 10,000 standard population, nearly twice the rate for other BC residents.

  • The top five leading causes of death in the Status Indian population were, in order, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease/stroke, gastrointestinal cancers, pneumonia/influenza, and respiratory system cancers. Together, these five categories accounted for more than one quarter of Status Indian deaths and nearly one half of all other deaths in the province. Regionally, ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease/stroke, and gastrointestinal cancers were among the top five causes of death in all area populations.

  • Circulatory system diseases were responsible for almost a quarter of Status Indian and one in seven Status Indian deaths was due to cancer.

  • The Status Indian mortality rate for respiratory system diseases was almost twice the rate for other residents of the province. Two-thirds of Status Indian deaths from this cause were seniors (aged 65 or older), while for the other B.C. residents more than 90% were seniors.

  • Although the province saw a dramatic decline in the annual number of AIDS/HIV deaths between 1995 and 1998, this trend was not seen in the Status Indian population.

  • The Status Indian mortality rate for digestive system diseases was almost three times the rate for other B.C. residents. Chronic liver disease/cirrhosis, the largest sub-category of digestive system diseases, was ranked tenth in the list of leading causes of death in the Status Indian population, compared to twentieth in the leading cause list for other B.C. residents.

  • The mortality rate for alcohol-related deaths in the Status Indian population was more than six times the rate for other B.C. residents, and the rate for drug induced deaths was more than three times the rate for other B.C. residents.

  • In the eight year period, 28% of Status Indian deaths were from accidents and violence, compared to less than eight percent of deaths of other B.C. residents. Among children between 1 and 19 years of age, three quarters of Status Indian deaths and two thirds of deaths of other B.C. children were from accidents and violence.

  • The Status Indian mortality rates for motor vehicle traffic accidents, accidental poisoning, and homicide were at least four times the rates for other B.C. residents. The Status Indian mortality rate for suicide was almost three times the rate for other B.C. residents.

  Highlights of Regional Statistics

  South Mainland Area

  The South Mainland area in this report refers to one of the four administrative areas of the province used by the Medical Services Branch, Health Canada.
  • The 59,488 Status Indian residents in this area in 1998 represented 45% of the provincial Status Indian population.

  • The Status Indian population in the South Mainland area had the highest overall live birth rate, 25.9 births per 1,000 Status Indian residents in the area.

  • The South Mainland area had the lowest birth rates of teenage mothers and the highest rates for older mothers. Almost 17% of Status Indian births and less than four percent of births to other area residents were to teenage mothers.

  • There were 109 infant deaths in the Status Indian population in the South Mainland area, in the eight year period, resulting in a rate of 9.8 infant deaths per 1,000 Status Indian live births, compared to an infant mortality rate of 5.0 among other area residents.

  • Overall, from all causes of death, the Status Indian population in the South Mainland had the highest mortality rate of the four areas, 137.5 deaths per 10,000 standard population. In contrast, other residents in the South Mainland area had the lowest overall mortality rate.

  • For cancers, the Status Indian population in the South Mainland area had the highest mortality rate (24.0), while the other South Mainland residents had the lowest (16.6), of the four areas.

  • In this area, alcohol is an important health concern. The Status Indian mortality rates from chronic liver disease/cirrhosis (4.9) and alcohol-related deaths (3.4) were more than seven times the rates for the other residents of South Mainland.

  • Accidents and violence was also a serious issue in the South Mainland Status Indian population; more than one quarter of all deaths in this population were from this cause. The area's Status Indian mortality rate from accidents and violence (22.1) was the highest of the four Status Indian area populations, and was more than four times the rate for other South Mainland area residents. In comparison to other residents of the area, the Status Indian rates were at least six times higher for accidental poisoning and fire and flames, and four times higher for motor vehicle traffic accidents and homicide.

  • The Status Indian population in the South Mainland was the only area population to have accidental poisoning in the top five leading causes of death (fifth place). In addition, this population had the highest mortality rate for 'drug induced' causes.

  • Status Indian population in the South Mainland had the highest mortality rate for deaths from AIDS/HIV infections, for all areas.

  Vancouver Island Area

  The Vancouver Island area in this report refers to one of the four administrative areas of the province used by the Medical Services Branch, Health Canada.
  • The 28,631 Status Indians in this area in 1998 represented 22% of the provincial Status Indian population. The Vancouver Island Status Indian population was the youngest of the four areas.

  • There were 5,312 Status Indian births in this area over the eight years, for a live birth rate of 25.4 births per 1,000 Status Indian residents in the area. Compared to other areas, the Vancouver Island area Status Indian population had the highest birth rates for low birth weight, premature births, births to teenage mothers and stillbirths, and the lowest rate for cesarean section deliveries.

  • Infant mortality was found to be one of the most serious concerns in the Vancouver Island area Status Indian population. In the eight year period, there were 94 Status Indian infant deaths in this area, for an infant mortality rate of 17.7 infant deaths per 1,000 Status Indian births. This was the highest infant mortality rate of the four Status Indian populations. Forty of these deaths were due to SIDS; in the Vancouver Island area, the mortality rate from SIDS was more than nine times higher than the rate for other residents in the area. On a positive note, infant mortality and SIDS has decreased significantly in this population since 1995.

  • Suicide was high among both the Status Indian population and other Vancouver Island residents. There were 96 Status Indian suicides in the area in the eight years; the Status Indian suicide mortality rate (4.3 per 10,000 standard population) and the rate for the other area residents (1.3) were the highest of the four areas in their respective populations.

  • Of the four areas, the Vancouver Island Status Indian population had the highest mortality rates for colorectal cancer and fire and flames and the lowest mortality rates for selected cancers (lung, cervical, and prostate), pneumonia/influenza, and asthma.

  North West Area

  The North West area in this report is refers to one of the four administrative areas of the province used by the Medical Services Branch, Health Canada.
  • The 17,993 Status Indians in this area in 1998 represented 14% of the provincial Status Indian population. The North West area had the oldest Status Indian population of the four areas.

  • One in three births in the North West area was a Status Indian baby. There were 2,814 Status Indian births in this area over the eight years, for a live birth rate of 20.6 births per 1,000 Status Indian residents in the area. This was the lowest birth rate of any Status Indian area population. It also had the lowest rates for low birth weight births, premature births, and stillbirths.

  • Although Status Indian population in this area had the highest cesarean section rate (167.7 per 1,000 births) of the four Status Indian populations, this rate was still well below the lowest rate for other residents in any of the four areas.

  • There were 617 deaths in the Status Indian population in the North West between 1991 and 1998. Included in this total are 25 infant deaths. The Status Indian mortality rate of all causes of death (82.4) was the lowest of the four Status Indian area populations. Comparing the other residents in each area, the North West has the highest mortality rate (71.6).

  • The North West Status Indian population had the lowest mortality rates from accidents and violence of any Status Indian area population.

  North East Area

  The North East area in this report refers to one of the four administrative areas of the province used by the Medical Services Branch, Health Canada.
  • The 25,606 Status Indians in this area in 1998 represented 19% of the provincial Status Indian population.

  • There were 4,834 Status Indian births in this area over the eight years, for a live birth rate of 25.9 births per 1,000 Status Indian residents in the area.

  • Both the Status Indian and other residents in the area had the lowest elderly gravida birth rates (births to mothers 35 years or older) of the four areas.

  • There were 956 deaths in the Status Indian population in the North East between 1991 and 1998. Included in this total are 46 infant deaths. The Status Indian mortality rate (94.0) was in the middle of the range of rates for the Status Indian area populations.

  • Comparing the four areas, the Status Indians in the North East area had highest mortality rates in only three categories: for deaths from motor vehicle traffic accidents, homicide, and tuberculosis. In contrast, other residents in the area had the highest mortality rates of the four areas for respiratory system diseases, digestive system diseases, external causes (and motor vehicle traffic accidents in particular), and breast cancer.

  • The North East Status Indian mortality rates were the lowest of four areas for broad categories of cancers, infectious/parasitic diseases, and endocrine/nutritional/metabolic diseases, and specifically from diabetes and ischaemic heart disease.