Differences in illicit drug-use rates among Oklahoma and non-Oklahoma Indian youth.

Demographic factors may serve as risk or protective factors for drug use in American Indian communities. The purpose of the present study was to compare drug-use rates among Oklahoma and Non-Oklahoma Indian youth, and test corresponding rates of preventative and protective community, family, and social-demographic factors. Participants' data included 1,928 Indian 7th-12th graders from non-Oklahoma schools and 1,938 Indian students from schools in Oklahoma, aggregated across 2-3 years from an ongoing survey study of substance use and prevention among Indian youth.

The changing patterns of drug use among American Indian students over the past 30 years.

Drug use among American Indian (AI) youth continues at higher levels than those found among other youth. While the rates are higher, the patterns of increases and decreases over the past 30-year period have been similar, indicating that AI youth are part of the larger adolescent culture. There is a set of secular influences that affect the rates of drug use in both groups in the same manner.

A comparison of American Indian and non-Indian fourth to sixth graders' rates of drug use.

Although there is a large body of literature examining adolescent drug use, little is known about drug use rates among younger children. This paper presents such information for both American Indian and non-Indian fourth to sixth grade students for "having gotten drunk," the "use of marijuana," the "use of inhalants," and the use of "other" drugs over a 10-year period. Generally, the rates of use for Indian youth are higher, with a particularly high rate of marijuana use.

Prevalence of American Indian adolescent tobacco use: 1993-2004.

Tobacco use rates for American Indian adolescents are examined and compared to rates for non-Indian youth. The data are taken from an ongoing surveillance project of substance use among Indian youth and the Monitoring the Future Project for the years 1993 to 2004. Sample sizes are in the range of 14,000 to 17,000 for non-Indian youth and 600 to 2400 for Indian youth.

Surveillance of drug use among American Indian adolescents: patterns over 25 years.

Purpose: To examine the trends in drug use among American Indian adolescents attending schools on, or near, Indian reservations in the United States, to provide comparisons with non-Indian youth, and to discuss implications for prevention.

Methods: Reliable and valid school administered drug use surveys have been given every year for 25 years (1975-2000) to representative samples of Indian youth living on reservations, yielding a continuous record of trends in drug use. Comparisons are made with non-Indian youth with data from the Monitoring the Future project.

Community readiness: the journey to community healing.

Community readiness is a research-based theory that provides a basic understanding of the intervention process in communities. This theory allows us to accurately describe the developmental level of a community relative to a specific issue or problem. In order to move the community toward implementing and maintaining efforts that are effective and sustainable, community mobilization must be based on involvement of multiple systems and utilization of within-community resources and strengths.