April 28, 2016

Tribal College Student Survey Closes with Record 3,175 respondents!

The “Creating Campus Change” (CCC) project closed its Tribal Colleges and Universities Alcohol, Drugs and Mental Health Epidemiology (TCU-ADME) survey on February 29, 2016, after 1½ years in the field at 22 TCU throughout the U.S. and Canada. With 3,175 student respondents representing a 31% response rate, the TCU-ADME Survey becomes the largest psychological epidemiology survey ever conducted in Indian Country, resulting in a treasure trove of heretofore unverified or unknown data.

The success of the survey greatly depended upon our partnership and close collaboration with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC, comprised of 37 TCU), led by the study’s Community Principal Investigator and AIHEC Research Committee Chair, Billie Jo Kipp, PhD, and President & CEO Carrie L. Billy, JD.

While the baseline survey collection of the CCC project has been completed, much work remains. This includes cleaning the data; working with TCU to analyze the data and returning TCU-specific data to individual schools. Additionally, at seven of the 22 TCU, the team will continue implementation of an intervention with students who demonstrate high alcohol consumption; implement policy and institutional interventions at three of those seven TCU; and finally – continue working with tribal partners on translation & dissemination of research findings for maximum public health impact.

The continuing intervention study culturally adapts the “Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students” (BASICS), which was developed by our UW partner, the Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors (CSHRB).

Leading the multi-site, longitudinal CCC study are: Principal Investigator Bonnie Duran, DrPH; Co-Investigators Mary Larimer, PhD (CSHRB); Dennis Donovan, PhD (Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute); Myra Parker, JD, PhD; and Maya Magarati, PhD. Research Coordinators are Tess Abrahamson-Richards, MPH; and Leo Egashira, MBA. CSHRB personnel who have been integral in operationalizing CCC are Theresa Walter and Alex Lynch. BASICS training and supervision were conducted by CSHRB’s Ty Lostutter, PhD; Danielle Eakins, PhDc, Jessica Cronce, PhD; and Andrew Paves, PhD.

The BASICS component of CCC will continue through July 2018, with periodic follow-up of students who have undergone intervention, as well as analysis of personal and institutional interventions. The excitement generated by CCC’s rich dataset has led to preliminary discussions on collaboration between the UW TCU Research Team and AIHEC in applying for NIH’s Native American Research Centers for Health grants to conduct secondary data analysis and three-times-a-year writing retreats with representatives from eight TCU. Were the proposal funded, analysis of the CCC dataset and the capacity-building and policy benefits that are realized from that will continue far beyond 2018.

The survey study was funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Award #5P60MD006909. The intervention study is funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Award #5R01AA022068. For more information about the Creating Campus Change project, please contact Research Coordinators Tess Abrahamson-Richards (teresaar@uw.edu, 206-543-5524) or Leo Egashira (seattleo@uw.edu, 206-616-6570).