According to government research, the rates of FAS for American Indians of the southwestern United States range from 13 to 103 per 10,000 live births. [US Department of Health and Human Services. Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black and Minority Health. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services, 1985]

The rates of FAS in Native American populations vary greatly from one tribe to another. Several factors play a role in the occurrence of FAS among American Indians, including drinking patterns, cultural influences, fertility, nutrition, and metabolic differences. [Aase JM. The fetal alcohol syndrome in American Indians: a high risk group. Neurobehav Toxicol Teratol 1981;3:153-6.]

According to studies conducted for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), incidences of FAS per 10,000 total births for different ethnic groups were as follows: Asians 0.3, Hispanics 0.8, whites 0.9, blacks 6.0, and Native Americans 29.9. [CHAVEZ, G.F.; Cordero, J.F.; & Becerra, J.E. Leading major congenital malformations among minority groups in the United States, 1981-1986. Journal of the American Medical Association 261(2):205-209, 1989.]

Reports from health units that serve Navajo and Pueblo tribes indicate a prevalence of FAS that is similar to that of the general population in the U.S., but the prevalence reported among the Southwest Plains Indians was much higher (1 per 102 live births). [MAY, P.A.; Hymbaugh, K.J.; Aase, J.M.; & Samet, J.M. Epidemiology of fetal alcohol syndrome among American Indians of the Southwest. Social Biology 30(4):374-387, 1983.]