In the proposed Phase III of this community-based participatory research (CBPR) project funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), we will continue to work with the Suquamish Tribe (ST) and Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe (POST), as well as other tribal entities both locally and nationally. In Phases I and II, CBPR and Tribal Participatory Research (TPR) approaches were used to develop culturally und tribally tailored, strengths-based prevention interventions based on the traditional Canoe Journey to address two primary, and related, areas of concern identified by the community: prevention of alcohol and drug abuse and a need for increased cultural and community identity by youth. The intervention was initially developed on Suquamish by work groups composed of members from the University and Suquamish research teams, Elders, and community members, and subsequently adapted and adopted in Port Gamble using a similar implementation approach. The curricula have undergone pilot testing with middle school and high school youth to determine issues of feasibility and acceptability. A quasi- experimental non-equivalent group switching replications design was used to evaluate their delivery in a series of intensive, small-group workshop/retreat formats. Results demonstrate significant increases in optimism/hope/efficacy and reductions in substance use, as well as increases in cultural identity and practices and knowledge about drugs of abuse. Using theory-informed approaches, the goals of the current Phase 1 project are to: (1) disseminate information about the intervention as well as the process of development and adaptation through a variety of mechanisms to general and specifically targeted AOAN audiences;(0) extend, adapt, and evaluate thus model of intervention development/adaptation and its implementation with different agencies within both PGST and ST than those in which they were initially developed, and to a new tribal partner that was not involved in the developmental process;and (3) develop intensive training, ongoing coaching/consultation, and technical assistance for these three partnering programs as well as for ether programs requesting involvement in response to our dissemination efforts.
The prevention of substance abuse among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) youth represents a major concern. In addition, the importance of cultural identity and connection to community are seen as critical steps to address this concern. The dissemination and implementation of culturally tailored, strengths-based interventions, which have demonstrated effectiveness, is an effective means of addressing these issues.
