OTTAWA — Native people living off reserve were more sick and depressed than non-natives - even after the numbers were tweaked to reflect lifestyle and low income, a new survey shows.

Aboriginal people were 1.3 times more likely to report fair or poor health, depression and chronic ailments such as diabetes, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday. "The research shows that they're more likely to smoke, to be obese, to be a heavy drinker," said survey analyst Michael Tjepkema.

Native people are also poorer, a fact closely linked with lagging health standards.

"But even after taking all those factors into account and controlling them, the aboriginal population off-reserve was still reporting poorer health than the non-aboriginal population," said Tjepkema of Statistics Canada's health branch.

"So that's the main surprise or interesting aspect."

The first study using new data from the 2000-01 Canadian Community Health Survey raises several questions.

More research is needed to see if genetics, stress, nutrition or cultural factors explain how the gap between native and non-native health persists even after statistical adjustments, Tjepkema said.

Almost 124,000 respondents across Canada aged 15 and up were interviewed for the in-depth survey. Of those, 3,555 said they were North American Indian, Inuit or Metis (mixed native and European ancestry).

Native people disproportionately reported ill health in all parts of Canada. The trend also crossed class groups.

Among low-income respondents, 33 per cent of off-reserve aboriginals cited fair or poor health compared with 25 per cent of non-aboriginals.

In middle-class homes, 26 per cent of natives said the same versus 16 per cent for non-natives. And the disparity among high-income earners was 13 per cent compared to eight per cent.

The federal Indian Affairs department says its main duty is to serve about 435,000 status Indians living on reserves and more than 60,000 Inuit in the North.

"That's why we call ourselves the forgotten people," said Dwight Dorey, head of the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. His group represents off-reserve status and non-status Indians and Metis, totalling more than 800,000 people.

Ottawa and the provinces all dodge responsibility for his constituents, he said.

"There's not enough research being done. We need to focus more on the real root of the problem: if it's lifestyle, how do we change it? If it's poor housing, what do we need to do?"

Understanding the drag on native health will require training more aboriginals to do research and run health services, said Jeff Reading, an associate professor of public health sciences at University of Toronto.

A Mohawk who grew up in Toronto, Reading says the survey highlights the need to merge modern science with traditional native knowledge. Most elders in remote communities still go to traditional healers before seeking mainstream medical care, he noted.

The federal government announced last spring a $1.2-million funding boost to help native researchers earn master's degrees and PhDs in a range of disciplines, including health.