All Indian Health Service Area Maps

• Motor Vehicle-Related Deaths
• Pedestrian-Related Deaths
• Firearm-Related Deaths
• Suicide-Related Deaths
• Homicide-Related Deaths
• Drowning-Related Deaths
• Fire-Related Deaths
• Suffocation-Related Deaths

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Native American Suffocation per 100,000, Ages 0-19, IHS Areas, 1989-1998

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IHS Area Death Rate (per 100,000) Percentile Aberdeen 3.5 95-100 Alaska 5.3 95-100 Albuquerque 1.2 0-49   Bemidji 3.3 95-100 Billings 3.2 95-100 California 1.2 0-49 Nashville 2.5 95-100 Navajo 3.3 95-100 Oklahoma 0.4 0-49 Phoenix 2.7 95-100 Portland 1.6 50-74 Tucson 3.3 95-100 All IHS Areas Combined 2.4     United States Rate 1.0

 

Suffocation Age Specific Rates 1989-1998  Age Group (years) Death Rate (per 100,000) Under 1 25.9 1-4 2.7 5-9 0.8* 10-14 0.8* 15-19 0.7* * Rates are based on fewer than 20 deaths and should be interpreted with caution.
	SUMMARY From 1989 to 1998, 155 Native American children and youth died from unintentional suffocation, choking, or strangulation. Suffocation was the leading cause of injury death among Native American infants. Inhalation or ingestion of food or other objects accounted for 24% of the choking and suffocation deaths. Twenty-five percent of children suffocated while in a bed or cradle. Fifty-eight percent of suffocation deaths occurred among infants. Forty percent of these infants suffocated in a bed or cradle. Suffocation rates were highest in the Alaska Area.
Suffocation Rates per 100,000 Population 1981–1998 Year Native American Rate Black Rate White Rate 81-82 3.98 1.67 1.19 83-84 3.64 1.73 1.04 85-86 3.37 1.48 0.98 87-88 2.70 1.58 0.95 89-90 2.80 1.92 0.88 91-92 3.32 1.54 0.84 93-94 2.45 1.38 0.86 95-96 1.81 1.56 0.83 97-98 1.54 1.56 0.82	Type/Location of Suffocation 1989-1998 Method Used Frequency (%) Cave In 0.7 Inhalation/Ingestion of food 12.3 Inhalation/Ingestion of an object 23.9 Lack of air (in closed space) 2.9 Suffocation (bed, cradle) 25.4 Suffocation (plastic bag) 2.9 Unintentional hanging 19.6 Other/Unspecified 12.3