Disparities in life expectancy of pacific northwest American Indians and Alaska natives: analysis of linkage-corrected life tables.

Objectives.American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) experience a high burden of mortality and other disparities compared with the general population. Life tables are an important population health indicator; however, federal agencies have not produced life tables for AI/ANs, largely due to racial misclassification on death certificates. Our objective was to correct this misclassification and create life tables for AI/ANs who resided in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S., making comparisons with the general population.Methods.To correct racial misclassification, we conducted probabilistic record linkages between death certificates from three Northwest states—Idaho, Oregon, and Washington State—issued during 2008–2010, and AI/AN patient registration records. We calculated mortality rates and generated period life tables for AI/ANs and non-Hispanic white (NHW) Americans.Results.Overall life expectancy at birth for Northwest AI/ANs was 72.8 years, which was 6.9 years lower than that of NHW Americans...