142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Monitoring the Abuse of Drugs in two Northwest tribal communities. A descriptive overview of adults entering community-based treatment programs

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Bridget Canniff, MALD , Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Portland, OR
Elizabeth Hawkins, PhD, MPH , Healthy Navigations, Lake Oswego, OR
Rennae Granados, MS , Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Portland, OR
Vera Honena, EdD , Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Portland, OR
Nancy Bennett, BS , Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Portland, OR
Thomas M. Becker, MD, PhD , Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Portland, OR
Background: American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities consistently report high rates of substance use. Alcohol and marijuana abuse is pervasive on reservations, and Northwest tribes report that methamphetamine and prescription drug abuse are on the rise, causing devastating multi-dimensional consequences.

Methods: The Monitoring the Abuse of Drugs (MAD) project was funded in 2010 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) through the Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) program. MAD partnered with two Northwest AI/AN communities to conduct in-depth interviews with adults entering community-based alcohol and drug treatment. The interview primarily consisted of the Native American version of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) and the South Oaks Gambling Screen. Data was collected by local research assistants and tribal program staff through January 2014.

Results: Over 425 interviews were completed. Participants were 61% male, 39% female; 49% were either unemployed or working irregularly; 78% were prompted or ordered to enter treatment via the criminal justice system. Descriptive analyses will be presented detailing the nature and correlates of substance use in Northwest tribal communities. Further analyses will examine the differences between participants with and without current criminal justice system involvement.

Conclusions: MAD provides important descriptive data on substance abuse treatment at specific Northwest tribes, and adds to knowledge that will inform treatment efforts for individuals living on or near Indian reservations. The results may be relevant to other AI/AN communities in the Northwest and beyond.

Learning Areas:

Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the nature of substance abuse among those seeking treatment in Northwest tribal communities. Compare the profiles of those entering treatment with and without criminal justice involvement.

Keyword(s): Drug Abuse Treatment, Community-Based Research (CBPR)

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a project director at NPAIHB since 2006, and the project director for this NIDA-funded study on drug and alcohol abuse treatment at Northwest tribes, since April 2013. I was previously the project manager for a single-tribe study on the community impact of substance abuse, from 2009-2011.
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.

Back to: 4371.0: Indigenous Solutions in Public Health: Using Research, Practice, & Theory to Build Resilient Communities