The American Indian tribal nations and communities have long experienced health status worse than that of other Americans. Although major gains in reducing health disparities were made during the last half of the twentieth century, most gains stopped by the mid-1980s. Consequently, health disparities continue to exist with marked variation across Indian Health Service (IHS) areas and within tribes. This is especially concerning for low-income, elderly members of the American Indian community. Addressing chronic diseases in elderly American Indian communities will help us reach the Healthy People 2010: Understanding and Improving Heath goals of improving the quality of life and increasing the life expectancy of American Indians. In an effort to reduce these existing health disparities, it is important to understand the major illnesses affecting the American Indian community and address mechanisms to address the illnesses within the American Indian community. This is a review of the literature about the major illnesses found among elderly American Indians living on or near a reservation. Four sources, including CINAHL, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, and PsycInfo, were used to review the literature regarding elderly American Indians living on or near a reservation for the three leading causes of death (heart disease, cancer, and diabetes) and suggested recommendations for health intervention programs in these disease areas. DEMOGRAPHIC PICTURE OF AMERICAN INDIANS LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES Approximately 2.5 million people identified themselves as American Indian in the 2000 US census. The American Indian population includes members of more than 550 federally recognized tribes, which represent different cultural traditions and lifestyles.

The purpose of this study was to assess predictors of sexual and physical assault among homeless women. A multivariate, correlation design was utilized to identify independent correlates of adult physical and sexual assault. The sample consisted of 202 homeless women residing in shelters or living on the street in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. Respondents reporting a history of child sexual abuse were almost four times more likely to report being sexually assaulted as adults and were almost two and one third times more likely to report being physically assaulted as adults. A range of factors increase homeless women's risk of adult physical and sexual victimization, including child sexual abuse, substance use, lifetime sex trade activity, and previous incarceration. It is important for homeless service providers to develop an individual risk profile for homeless women and to intervene in order to decrease their risk of re-victimization.