
Drs. Duran and Wallerstein receive the Tom Bruce award from Community Based Public Health Caucus at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Read more in press release from this award.
Alcohol and drug abuse (AD) among college students are a significant and longstanding public health problem. Data from several national surveys indicate that 4 in 5 college students drink and about half of all college students engage in heavy episodic consumption. Every year, 1400 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die, and 500,000 more are injured due to hazardous drinking. Drug use among college students is very high. Since the early 1990s, the extent of college students who are daily marijuana users has increased by 110%. Abuse of painkillers has increased by more than 300% and use of stimulants is up more than 90%.
Project Goal: The long-term vision of this research is to reduce ADrelated health disparities for American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN), and to increase postsecondary academic success. This project, a collaboration among Center for Indigenous Health Research, NorthWest Indian College, American Indian Higher Education Consortium and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, will use a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach to conduct the first investigation of AD at TCU and is a preliminary step on a path toward developing culturally appropriate and sustainable interventions at NWIC and other TCU. To read more about this project see the fact sheet.
The causes of health disparities among communities of color and other underserved populations are complex and include social, biological, economic, cultural, and historical factors. A critical step in reducing health disparities among these communities is addressing the mistrust that characterizes community attitudes towards research and to ensure authentic community engagement in improving health. This study will be an in-depth investigation of promoters and barriers to Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) with the goal of improving health status and promoting health equity. Funded through the Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH), National Institutes for Health (NIH) and Indian Health Service for 2009-2013, this research project will invite the participation of CBPR projects from all NIH Institutes and Centers to participate in a national study design to strengthen the science of how CBPR partnerships can reduce health disparities.
Aims of “Research for Change”:
Data Collection Strategies and Methodologies: CBPR sites across the country will be invited to participate at different levels: as part of the mixed method data collection, as participating projects in the multi-site leadership group, and as part of a national Community of Practice open to a wider audience of CBPR interested researchers and practitioners.
Collection methods include: