This section of NativeAIR presents interventions designed to reduce or prevent alcohol misuse among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. Prevention is consistent with AI/AN traditional approaches to health. The empowering of wellness is viewed as preferable to addressing ill health whenever possible.
Many of these interventions are geared toward children and/or adolescents, reflecting Native leaders’ interest in the health of the next generation. Adolescence is a time of increasing independence and behavioral experimentation accompanied by widespread changes in the brain. The nature of these rapid changes may increase the adolescent brain’s vulnerability to alcohol exposure, particularly relevant as people often start to drink alcohol during this time period.
As a result, prevention interventions emphasize delaying onset of use, regular use, and intoxication. Shifting the trajectory to lower use or later onset indicates a beneficial effect, even if alcohol use increases between baseline and follow-up.
The following interventions were selected from published peer-reviewed studies according to a rigorous set of criteria. This review was led by Natives and non-Natives conducting alcohol research in Native populations. About NativeAIR describes the intervention selection criteria and coding scheme, which includes elements of cultural or Tribal inclusion.
Interventions can be filtered and sorted by different variables to help needs. The Description of Intervention Variables page contains a description of all the intervention variables.
