Essentials of research engagement with Native American Tribes: Data collection reflections of a tribal research team

Background: Conducting research with Native American Tribes must be preceded by developing a foundation consisting of collaborative partnerships. Essential strategies include: respecting tribal sovereignty, a basic understanding of tribal history and tribal politics, identifying key informants, establishing a communication network, building and maintaining trust, involving the community in planning and decision-making, and evaluation throughout the research process. Using a collaborative partnership approach data was collected to identify factors that influence the lives of reservation-based Native American youth (aged 15-24 years) on a northern plains reservation. This presentation will discuss the important decision points and lessons learned. Methods: A team consisting of all Native American's, including three tribal college students, collected data using an anonymous web-based survey. Results: The Historical and Contemporary Factors Study received approval by tribal resolution and provided the basis for establishing a network of key informants; implementing a strategy for communication; and hiring, recruiting, and training students from the tribal college to participate as members of the research team. Conclusions: Tribal-specific community based research may be the best strategy to turn back the tide on the persistent health disparities and achieve health equity by addressing important tribal health issues while simultaneously building tribal research capacity. Early tribal engagement and participation can provide significant rewards when research transitions to data collection and is crucial when collecting sensitive information.