Rural injury deaths in Nevada: a comparison of American Indians and non-Indians, 1980-1987.

Past studies have shown that American Indians are at higher risk of injury death than non-American Indians. These studies have not considered differences between urban and rural environments. Using mortality data (1980-1987) from the National Center for Health Statistics, adjusted injury death rates for American Indians and non-Indians living in rural Nevada were compared. Rural injury death rates among American Indians exceeded those among non-Indians for motor vehicle (69/100,000 vs. 43/100,000) and suicide (43/100,000 vs. 37/100,000). Rates for both groups were similar for homicide (21/100,000 vs. 20/100,0000). Comparing rural American Indians to rural non-Indians, the authors found the excess risk of injury death to be less than previous studies not taking into account the rural environment.