Why Native American children have higher rates of disability

The rates of disability among U.S. children are increasing, with the highest rate of disability among Native American children, according to a newly released brief by the U.S. Census Bureau.

More than 3 million children in the U.S. had a disability in 2019, slightly up from data collected more than a decade ago.

But a disproportionate number of Native American children (5.9%) had a disability, followed by children of more than one race (5.2%) and Black children (5.1%). Household income also appeared to play a role, with 6.5% of children living below the poverty line having a disability, as compared to 3.8% of children living in families with incomes above the poverty threshold.

“There are decades of evidence that these particular racial and ethnic groups, especially American Indian, Native American groups and Black Americans, have poor access to care, and also may not have access to the same quality of health care services,” said Dr. Regan Bergmark, an otolaryngologist at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital with an interest in addressing health care disparities.

#Native American children

#American Indian

#RacialDiscrimination

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/native-american-children-higher-rates-disability/story?id=76841563