Between 2009 and 2011, two tribal communities located approximately 3,000 miles apart—an American Indian tribe on a reservation in New Mexico and a group of closely knit Alaska Native villages in western Alaska—experienced clusters of youth suicides. Across these communities, 25 young people, all American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), took their own lives. At least 28 others attempted suicide, 19 of whom […]
American Indian or Alaska Native
Building a Culture of Health by Creating Opportunities for Boys and Young Men of Color
Expanding opportunities and eliminating barriers to health and success for young men of color is critical to fully realizing a national “culture of health,” a series of issue briefs from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds. Commissioned in conjunction with RWJF’s $12 million commitment to Forward Promise, an initiative to improve the prospects of boys […]
Disparities in Adult Cigarette Smoking — United States, 2002–2005 and 2010–2013
Despite a significant decline in overall adult cigarette smoking since 1964, disparities in cigarette smoking remain among racial and ethnic population groups, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. For example, current (past 30-day) cigarette smoking during 2010-2013 was lower among […]
Surveillance Success Stories: Fort Peck Indian Reservation
Following a coordinated emergency response to a suicide cluster in 2010, tribal leaders began collecting data from multiple sources to describe detailed circumstances of suicide ideation, attempts and deaths. This allowed them to identify the role of substance abuse in suicide attempts and initiate family education for family members of previously suicidal individuals when they […]
Advancing Health Equity for Native American Youth: Workshop Summary
More than 2 million Americans below age 24 self-identify as being of American Indian or Alaska Native descent. Many of the serious behavioral, emotional, and physical health concerns facing young people today are especially prevalent with Native youth (e.g., depression, violence, and substance abuse). Adolescent Native Americans have death rates two to five times the […]
Community Resources for Suicide Prevention in Indian Country
To highlight the resilience and strength of American Indian and Alaska Native people, and to encourage those communities who have or are currently experiencing the devastation of suicide, the Tribal Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center in collaboration with the Suicide Prevention Resource Center presented a webinar to help Tribes and communities learn more about […]