141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

281172
Understanding suicide in the san francisco bay area American Indian/Alaska Native community

Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 8:50 AM - 9:10 AM

Kateri Chiu, PsyD , Community Wellness Department, Native American Health Center, Oakland, CA
Bonney Hartley, MSocSci , Community Wellness Department, Native American Health Center, Oakland, CA
Esther Lucero, MPP , Community Wellness Department, Native American Health Center, Oakland, CA
Carla McClellan, MPH , Community Wellness Department, Native American Health Center, Oakland, CA
Virgil Moorehead Jr., MFT, MA, PsyD Candidate , Community Wellness Department, Native American Health Center, Oakland, CA
Miranda E. Worthen, AB, MPhil, PhD , Department of Health Science & Recreation, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Serena Wright, MPH , Community Wellness Department, Native American Health Center, Oakland, CA
The long history of oppression of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) has had a devastating effect on the health of Native people. AIAN from various tribes began migrating in significant numbers from reservations and rancherias to major urban areas such as San Francisco Bay Area during the 1950's under the Bureau of Indian Affairs Relocation Program. California is home to the largest AIAN population in the country. Of all California AIAN, 70% live in urban areas and over 80,000 reside in the SF Bay Area.

Nationally, American Indian and Alaska Natives experience a suicide rate 70% higher than the national average. While suicide in rural areas has received research attention, little has been written about Native suicide in urban areas. This is partly due to the documented inaccuracy of racial classification in existing data sources, leaving researchers with few tools to understand the problem.

In order to address this gap, the Native American Health Center initiated a study of suicide in the AIAN community in the SF Bay Area. We aimed to document the prevalence of suicide in the AIAN community, as well as to identify areas for improving services provided by an urban AIAN-serving health center in order to prevent future attempts. We conducted in-depth interviews with staff of Native-serving organizations, community elders, and other stakeholders in the urban AIAN community. We present here the background to this study, the methods we used to conduct the study, the results we found, and our conclusions.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Compare the prevalence of suicide in the AIAN community to the general population and other racial/ethnic groups. Evaluate existing research on suicide in urban AIAN populations. Describe the context and extent of the suicide in the AIAN community in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Keywords: Suicide, American Indians

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As an epidemiologist I have been the principle investigator on multiple research initiatives and lead author on academic publications. I am currently an Assistant Professor of Health Science. My work has primarily been focused in participatory action research in conflict or post-conflict environments.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.