Supporting Cultural Identity and Integrating Cultural Content with an Evidence-based Program to Prevent Substance Misuse

Using cultural humility, the MA Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) built a process to approach, collaborate, and address the priorities of diverse Native people. Through outreach to tribes, Inter-tribal Councils, and Native organizations, BSAS established a Native American Team (Team). The goal is to decrease the substance misuse disparities of Native MA youth.

Methods: The Teams Objectives are to: 1) increase positive ethnic identity and evidence-based skills to increase health equity; and 2) support family members’ roles in prevention. Focused on 11-13 year olds, the work extends to families, and whole Native communities.

Multiple Native focus groups identified the need for an effective prevention curriculum. Native American adults were invited to a LifeSkills Training© (LST) program, an evidence-based program to prevent substance misuse. Prior to the training, Native “Culture-keepers” were invited to offer input. Twenty Native people are Certified in LST. The Team identified the need for culturally-focused content. In concert with LST, they developed an approved Native Supplement. The full LST curriculum and student guides are used with it. The Team and other professionals participated in a training/discussion on fidelity to this research-validated program.

The Team also developed an analogous publication, “Stories and Poems for Northeastern Native Tribal Families.” Drawing on Native values and evidence-based prevention, it enables family members to use traditions to guide their children to a healthy future. Illustrated by a Native artist, it offers parents tips on how to support youths’ social emotional learning, and healthy choices. At Powwows and Socials the Team sponsors a participatory “Stomp Out the Culture of Addiction Dance,” dedicated to prevention, treatment, and recovery. The Team distributes Native American resources (downloadable https://massclearinghouse.ehs.state.ma.us/category/NativeAmerican.html).

Methods: Team members collect process data. The data is being analyzed by the BSAS Research Contractor. The Team has requested that our YRBS data collection system over-sample Native youth in the 6-12^th grade. These two processes will provide preliminary qualitative and quantitative data.

Results: The process data will be presented. BSAS is grappling with the challenge of how to measure the long term impact on alcohol, and other use rates among Native youth using culturally sensitive methods.

Conclusions: These practices successfully engage diverse Native peoples in evidence-based programming. This model of cultural humility may be applicable to other marginalized groups. The Workshop participants can download our materials, and consult with us if they would like to adapt them.