Community Partnership to Affect Cherokee Adolescent Substance Abuse

描述(申请人提供)：美洲印第安人滥用药物会导致致命的问题，如事故、慢性肝病、肝硬变、凶杀和自杀。由于切罗基人代表着美国第二大部落，美洲印第安人中很大比例的酒精和毒品使用可以归因于切罗基人。对切罗基民族一所高中学生的调查结果显示，90%-95%的学生尝试过酒精；70%的学生尝试过大麻；24%-27%的学生尝试过吸入剂。“影响切罗基青少年药物滥用社区伙伴关系”项目的总体目标是加强佛罗里达大西洋大学护理学院和一个美洲印第安人(切罗基)原住民社区之间的伙伴关系，通过发展和测试具有文化能力的学校干预措施来影响切罗基青少年中的药物滥用。PI是一名新的调查员，已经进行了试点工作，测试对切罗基青少年进行干预的可行性。拟议的干预计划包括一个传统的切诺基药物滥用谈话圈。具体而言，该项目旨在：(A)建立一个社区伙伴关系指导委员会，该委员会由来自当地切罗基社区的成员组成，在那里开展以社区为基础的参与性研究；(B)评估切罗基社区在药物滥用方面的需求；(C)与切罗基社区合作，制作符合文化能力的Talking Circle干预材料，并选择符合文化需要的结果措施；(D)评估接受有文化能力的干预措施的切罗基青少年和接受标准药物滥用教育的切罗基青少年在药物滥用、切罗基人自立和压力方面的差异。预计这项研究的结果将增加对以下方面的了解：(A)设计具有文化能力的干预措施；(B)选择符合文化的结果措施；(C)影响切罗基青少年滥用药物的干预措施的有效性。还预计以社区为基础的研究进程将有助于提高社区管理青少年药物滥用健康问题的能力。此外，该项目产生的数据将有助于继续对滥用药物的美洲印第安人青少年进行研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Substance abuse by Native American Indians accounts for life-threatening and deadly problems such as accidents, chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, homicide, and suicide. Because Cherokees represent the second- largest tribe in the United States, a large percentage of alcohol and drug use among Native American Indians can be attributed to the Cherokee people. Survey findings for students at one high school in the Cherokee Nation indicate that 90-95 percent have tried alcohol; 70 percent have tried marijuana; and 24-27 percent have tried inhalants. The overall objective of the "Community Partnership to Affect Cherokee Adolescent Substance Abuse" project is to strengthen a partnership between the Florida Atlantic University College of Nursing and a Native American Indian (Cherokee) community to affect substance abuse among Cherokee adolescents by developing and testing a culturally competent school-based intervention. The PI, a new investigator, has done pilot work testing the feasibility of using the intervention with Cherokee adolescents. Proposed plans for the intervention include a traditional Cherokee Talking Circle for substance abuse. Specifically, the project aims to: (a) create a community partnership steering committee that is representative of members from the local Cherokee community where the community-based participatory research will be conducted; (b) assess the Cherokee community needs regarding substance abuse; (c) partner with the Cherokee community to create culturally competent Talking Circle intervention materials and select culturally appropriate outcome measures; (d) evaluate the difference in substance abuse, Cherokee self-reliance, and stress for Cherokee adolescents who receive the culturally competent intervention and those who receive standard substance abuse education. It is expected that the results of this study will increase knowledge about: (a) design of a culturally competent intervention; (b) selection of culturally appropriate outcome measures; and (c) effectiveness of the intervention for affecting substance abuse among Cherokee adolescents. It is also expected that the community-based research process will contribute to community capacity for managing the health issue of adolescent substance abuse. Further, the data generated from this project will contribute to continuing research with Native American Indian adolescents who are abusing substances.