Health status of Native people living in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

BACKGROUND Native people of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) live mostly in northern regions in the so-called "national settlements". Natives usually experience more health-related problems as compared to the total population. As a result, life expectancy at the birth of Natives living in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is lower compared to ethnic groups living in European countries, in the United States, and in Canada. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY To determine the prevalence of diseases among Natives living in Yakutia and to compare the standards of living for Dolgans living in the Anabarsky region and Evenks living in Gigansky and Ust-Maysky regions. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS The study was designed as a population-based, cross-sectional examination with the addition of a cross-sectional survey for Dolgans and Evenks. Data were obtained from 324 Evenks, 43 Evens, 230 Dolgans, and 216 people of other ethnic groups, aged 17-86. In the additional cross-sectional survey, 155 Dolgans and 292 Evenks were included. RESULTS Among Natives, the most prevalent diseases are digestive diseases (67.9 cases per 100 examined), diseases of the genitourinary system (45.3 per 100 examined), circulatory system diseases (44.4 per 100 examined), diseases of the respiratory system (36.9 cases per 100 examined) and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (28.4 cases per 100 examined). There are differences in the prevalence among Natives living in different regions. Anabarsky region has the lowest disease burden and Dolgans inhabiting this region have higher standards of living than Evenks living in Gigansky and Ust-Maysky regions. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of diseases among the Natives, living in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is very high. Differences in raw prevalence rate between Native ethnic groups were found, but it is unknown whether these differences can be assigned rather to the difference in standards of living in the inhabited locality than to ethnicity itself.