Health Promotion and Substance Abuse Prevention among American Indian and Alaska Native Communities: Issues in Cultural Competence. Cultural Competence Series 9. Special Collaborative Edition

Substance abuse continues to be one of the most damaging and chronic health problems faced by Indian people. American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) substance abuse prevention and treatment programs must be framed within the broader context of the widening health disparities between AI/AN communities and the general population. Successful treatment and prevention of health problems, including substance abuse, must be driven by community needs and blend complementary strategies from Western medicine and traditional healing practices. This collection of works by substance abuse experts and public health researchers explores, within a public health framework, the multiple dimensions of AI/AN substance abuse treatment and prevention from an AI/AN community perspective. Chapters are: (1) "Prevention of Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Health Problems among American Indians and Alaska Natives: An Introduction and Overview" (Joseph E. Trimble, Fred Beauvais); (2) "Prevention Principles for American Indian Communities" (James R. Moran); (3) "Worldview, Identity, and Prevention in American Indian Communities" (Grace Powless Sage); (4) "Prevention in Alaska: Issues and Innovations" (Gerald Mohatt, Kelly L. Hazel, Justin W. Mohatt); (5) "Using the Community Readiness Model in Native Communities" (Pamela Jumper-Thurman, Barbara A. Plested, Ruth W. Edwards, Heather M. Helm, Eugene R. Oetting); (6) "Native American Perceptions of the National Association for Native American Children of Alcoholics: In Their Own Words" (Jeannette L. Johnson, Bradford W. Plemons, Edward Starr, Raymond Reyes, Candace Fleming, Anna Latimer, Joseph E. Trimble); and (7) "Do School-Based Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Programs Work in American Indian Communities?" (Fred Beauvais). (Contains references in each chapter.) (TD)