Facebook Twitter Email
TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2001

Thirty-one percent of American Indian girls have experienced unwanted sexual touching.

American Indian boys are getting girls pregnant at two to three times the rates of whites.

Fourteen percent of American Indian 9th graders have attempted suicide, among the highest rate of all students.

These are some of the statistics which paint a troubling picture of the problems facing American Indian students in schools throughout Minnesota. They are also among the disparities highlighted in a report released on Monday on the welfare of young Minnesotans.

As part of an ongoing effort, Urban Coalition has been conducting studies on low-income and minority youth. The report "The Health and Well-Being of Minnesota’s Youth" is based on a 1998 survey of public and alternative school students in 6th, 9th, and 12th grades.

Compared to the same survey conducted four years earlier, conditions among Indian youth have worsened in some areas. And as Indian youth grow older, self-esteem and aspirations drop, truancy rates increase, and family conditions become more difficult.

For example, the percentage of Indian students who feel their parents care about them "very much" has dropped steadily since 1995. Only American Indian and Asian students experience this trend.

The older the Indian student, the less likely he or she is to report positive interactions with family. Again, Indian and Asian students had the lowest rates among students.

Indian youth were also less likely to report they enjoyed going to school, with suburban Natives reporting greater dissatisfaction than urban students. Overall, just 32 percent of Indian students reported liking school "very much" or "quite a bit," a rate comparable to Hispanics.

By 12th grade, Indian students were less likely to have aspirations to attend college. Compared to 79 percent of 6th graders, only 65 percent of Indian seniors said they planned on going to college, the lowest percentage of all student groups.

Across the board, students reported increased family problems of alcohol and drug abuse. But American Indians had the highest percentage gain from 1995 to 1998.

Drug use among Indian youth themselves was also high. Some 41 percent of Indian 12th graders said they smoked daily in the past month, the highest of all students.

Indian students also reported the highest rate of alcohol usage. Some 31 percent of 12th graders said they drank three or more times in the past month.

To change these problems, the report makes a number of recommendations aimed at schools, health care providers, families, and community organizations. More study of health issues is urged to get a better understanding of "deeper disparities" among ethnic and racial minorities.

Get the Report:
The Health and Well-Being of Minnesota’s Youth (Urban Coalition July 2001)

Relevant Links:
Urban Coalition - http://www.urbancoalition.org