Examining federal data sets to understand Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander behavioral health

This presentation will describe the risk factors, protective factors, prevalence and incidence of behavioral health conditions among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs), based on a secondary data analysis of multiple federal data sets. It will also report on methodology issues related to the challenges of small sample sizes, aggregated/disaggregated data, and using multiple data sets. Data sets included are the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's national surveys and discretionary grant programs. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, age 12 and older. Approximately 67,500 persons are interviewed annually. The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) includes data reported to individual State administrative data systems for discharges age 12 and older from substance abuse treatment, including treatment completion, length of stay in treatment, and demographic and substance abuse characteristics of discharges from alcohol or drug treatment. NSDUH and TEDS data for NHPIs, like other surveys, is limited, but indicates a need for addressing substance abuse and barriers to treatment. The presentation will also discuss strategies and findings from SAMHSA's grant programs in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, including efforts to promote children's mental health and to prevent substance abuse, suicide and other behavioral health issues. Data analysis results provide implications for policy and practice for addressing NHPI behavioral health conditions and developing effective behavioral health service delivery systems.