WASHINGTON -- Almost 12 percent of the deaths among American Indians and Alaska Natives are alcohol-related -- more than three times the percentage attributed to the general population, a new federal report says.

The report released Thursday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says 11.7 percent of total deaths among American Indians and Alaska Natives between 2001 and 2005 were alcohol-related, compared with 3.3 percent for the U.S. general population.

Dwayne Jarman, a CDC epidemiologist who works for the Indian Health Service and is one of the study's authors, said it is first national survey that measures American Indian deaths due to alcohol. It should be a ''call to action'' for federal, state, local and tribal governments, he said.

The study recommends ''culturally appropriate clinical interventions'' to reducing excessive drinking and better integration between tribal health care centers and tribal courts, which often deal with alcohol-related crimes.

The authors also say future efforts should explore regional differences in alcohol-related deaths. The study said the greatest number of tribal alcohol-related deaths -- about a third of the total -- occurred in the Northern Plains, where reservations are remote and often destitute. The lowest number of deaths were in Alaska. The report did not break down the numbers by tribe.

Jarman said the study did not look at why there may be more deaths in the Plains but said it is consistent with previous studies.

''It may be a function of social perceptions of alcohol in that particular region,'' he said.

The two leading causes of alcohol-related deaths for the Indian populations listed in the study are traffic accidents and alcoholic liver disease, each of which cause more than a quarter of the 1,514 alcohol-related deaths over the four-year time period.

Also listed are homicide (6.6 percent of alcohol-related deaths), suicide (5.2 percent) and fall injuries (2.2 percent).

The study said more than 68 percent of the Indian deaths attributed to alcohol were men, and 66 percent were people younger than 50 years old. Seven percent were less than 20 years old.

The recent deaths of three teenagers in Wyoming -- possibly due to alcohol -- have stirred the Northern Arapaho Tribe there. Federal authorities have not said what killed them, although tribal leaders say the deaths highlight the scourge of drugs and alcohol. Leaders recently traveled to Washington to ask for money to build a recreation center for the reservation.

Donovan Antelope, a spokesman for the Northern Arapaho, said alcoholism has been a problem for more than a century with many Indian populations.

''It has had a very negative impact on our day to day life,'' he said, adding that the tribe has started promoting alcohol-free events.