American Indians and Alaska Natives; defining where they reside.

There is often confusion regarding urban/rural population statistics because of the difficulties in defining these geographic terms. This article attempts to clarify the concepts of urban and rural, metropolitan areas, and other geographic terms as they relate to the IHS and the American Indian and Alaska native population. Bureau of Census definitions for these terms are included. It is important to choose the appropriate geographic entity for the issue being addressed in order to define the Indian Health Service areas.