PROJECT SUMMARY
Indigenous Peoples have the highest rate of prescription opioid misuse of any sociodemographic group in the
United States (US). Increasing rates of opioid misuse have led to increased prevalence of injection drug use
(IDU) and concomitant overdose and infectious disease morbidity and mortality. Infectious disease inequities are
driven in part by inadequate access to sterile injection equipment. IDU-associated harms are one of many drivers
of Indigenous Peoples having the lowest life expectancy of all racial and ethnic groups. Despite sustained health
inequities among Indigenous Peoples, very few Federally recognized tribes in the US have implemented syringe
services programs (SSPs). This scarcity is driven in part by the fact that SSPs – which reflect harmreduction
and, often, allopathic “western” approaches to health and well-being – must be integrated with traditional
Indigenous approaches for healing. While these three approaches are not incompatible, their integration can be
challenging. Understanding factors that facilitated the successful implementation of Indigenous-centered SSPs
that integrate harmreduction, allopathic “western,” and traditional Indigenous approaches warrants exploration
since these programs are essential for mitigating IDU-associated harms. We will conduct community-based
participatory research with Indigenous communities that successfully implemented SSPs that integrate multiple
approaches to health and well-being. Through this Project, we will identify the roles of cultural factors, community
contexts, and policy during the implementation of SSPs that integrate multiple approaches (i.e., harmreduction,
allopathic “western,” and traditional Indigenous) to health and well-being in three diverse Indigenous
communities through key informant interviews with persons who played a role during implementation (Aim 1).
We will also determine the contexts and mechanisms by which cultural, social, and structural factors affect
attitudes and beliefs about the utilization of SSPs that integrate multiple approaches among Indigenous-SSP
clients and Indigenous non-clients (Aim 2). Finally, we will examine how patterns of knowledge and attitudes
about multiple approaches to health and well-being and SSPs that integrate them are associated with
sociocultural factors (e.g., cultural identification, stigma) through audience segmentation research among
Indigenous-serving members of the public health and healthcare workforce (Aim 3). The results of this Project
will culminate in a robust evidence base for reversing the inertia of the status quo and eliminating substance use
harms in Indigenous communities. This Project is directly aligned with the goals of the NIDA Racial Equity
Initiative given that Indigenous Peoples have persistent health inequities. This Project is highly innovative as it
will be the first in the US to comprehensively examine SSP implementation processes in Indigenous
communities.
Public Health Relevance Statement
Data not available.
NIH Spending Category
No NIH Spending Category available.
Project Terms
AbstinenceAffectAlaska NativeAllyAmerican IndiansAttitudeBeliefClientCommunicable DiseasesCommunitiesDataDrug usageDrug userEmotionalEquipmentEquityEthnic PopulationFundingGoalsHIVHIV diagnosisHarm ReductionHealthHealthcareIndigenousInequityInfectionInjecting drug userInjectionsInterventionInterviewKnowledgeLeadershipLegalLife ExpectancyMental HealthMethodsMorbidity - disease rateNational Institute of Drug AbuseNatureNeedle SharingNeedle-Exchange ProgramsOutcomeOverdosePatternPersonal SatisfactionPersonsPharmaceutical PreparationsPoliciesPrevalencePrimary CarePublic HealthRacial EquityReportingResearchResearch PersonnelResearch Project GrantsRoleSiteSpiritualitySterilityTribesUnited StatesViral hepatitiscommunity based participatory approachcommunity based participatory researchevidence basehealinghealth inequalitiesimplementation facilitationimplementation processindigenous communityinformantinjection drug useinnovationmedication for opioid use disordermembermortalityopioid misuseprescription opioid misuseprogramsracial populationservice programsservice utilizationsocialsocial factorssocial stigmasociocultural determinantsociodemographic groupstructural determinantssubstance usesubstance use treatment
No Sub Projects information available for 5P50DA058619-02 5753
Publications
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