This project collected data on cancer risk factors among urban Native American youth in the northeast to inform development of a prevention initiative.
Design:
Face to face interviews were conducted.
Setting:
Interviews were conducted in homes, at a social service agency, and in a private space at a Native American cultural event in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New York.
Methods:
Forty-one youth (ages 9–13) and 17 caregivers were interviewed about their health behaviours.
Results:
Poor dietary choices and a sedentary lifestyle places these youth at risk for developing cancer later in life. Many of these youth’s family members and some of their peers smoke, thus exposing them to the temptation to initiate smoking and the effects of second hand smoke.
Conclusion:
This data informed development of a curriculum designed to reduce the cancer risk factors of poor diet, recreational tobacco use, and limited physical activity.
BurhansstipanovL. Cancer mortality among Native Americans. Cancer, 1998: 83(11): 2247–50.
2.
MichalekAMMahoneyMCBurhansstipanovLTenneyMCobbN. Urban-based Native American cancer-control activities: Services and perceptions. Journal of Cancer Education, 1996: 11: 159–63.
3.
KeppellKGPearcyJNWagenerDK. Trends in Racial and Ethnic-specific Rates for the Health Status Indicators: United States, 1990–1998. Online. Available: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/statnt/statnt23.pdf (accessed March 2002).
4.
MichalekAMMahoneyMC. Provision of cancer control service to Native Americans by state health departments. Journal of Cancer Education, 1994: 9: 145–7.
5.
BaquetCR. Native American cancer rates in comparison with other peoples of color. Cancer, 1996: 78(suppl. 7): 1538–44.
6.
CobbNPaisanoRE. Patterns of cancer mortality among Native Americans. Cancer, 1998: 83: 2377–83.
7.
JoeJR. Out of harmony: Health problems and young Native American men. Journal of American College Health, 2001: 49: 237–50.
LeMasterPLConnellCMMitchellCMMansonSP. Tobacco use among American Indian adolescents: Protective and risk factors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2002: 30: 426–32.
12.
KerbyDSBrandMWJohnR. Anger types and the use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco among Native American adolescents. Preventive Medicine, 2003: 37(5): 485–91.
13.
HawkinsEHCumminsLHMarlattGA. Preventing substance abuse in American Indian and Alaska Native youth: Promising strategies for healthier communities. Psychological Bulletin, 2004: 130(2): 304–23.
14.
HatcherJLScarpaJ. Encouraging Teens to Adopt a Safe, Healthy Lifestyle: A Foundation for Improving Future Adult Behaviors: Trends Child Research Brief. Washington, DC: Knight Foundation, 2002.
15.
LytelLADixonLBCunningham-SaboLEvansMGittelsohnJHurleyJSnyderPStevensJWeberJAnlikerJHelleeKStoryM. Dietary intakes of Native American children: Findings from the Pathways feasibility study. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2002: 102(4): 555–9.
16.
StoryMStraussKFZephierEBroussardBA. Nutritional concerns in American Indian and Alaska Native children: Transitions and future directions. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 1998: 98(2): 170–6.
17.
GoingSThompsonJCanoSStewartDStoneEHarnackLHastingsCNormanJCorbinC. The effects of the pathways obesity prevention program on physical activity in American Indian children. Preventive Medicine, 2003: 37: 62–9.
18.
ThompsonJLGittlesohnJGoingSBecentiAMetcalfeLHarnackLRingK. Patterns of physical activity among American Indian children: An assessment of barriers and support. Journal of Community Health, 2001: 26: 423–47.
19.
GrayASmithC. Fitness, dietary intake, and body mass index in urban Native American youth. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2003: 103(9): 1187–91.
20.
United States Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010: Understanding and Improving Health. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2002.
21.
CheadleAPearsonDWagnerEPsatyB. A community based approach to preventing alcohol use among adolescents on an American Indian reservation. Public Health Reports, 1995: 110: 439–45.
22.
JacksonCDickinsonD. Can parents who smoke socialize their children against smoking? Results from the smoke-free kids intervention trial. Tobacco Control, 2003: 12(1): 52–9.
BrenerNDKannLMcManusTKinchenSASundbergECRossJG. Reliability of the 1999 youth risk behavior survey questionnaire. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2002: 31: 336–42.
25.
KoehlerKMCunningham-SaboLLambertLCMcCalmanRSkipperBJDavisSM. Assessing food selection in a health promotion program: Validation of a brief instrument for American Indian children in the Southwest United States. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2000: 100(2): 205–11.
26.
OettingERBeauvaisF. Orthogonal cultural identification theory: The cultural identification of minority adolescents. The International Journal of the Addictions, 1991: 25(5A–6A): 655–85.
WeaverHNJacksonKF. Healthy living in two worlds: Testing a wellness curriculum for urban Native youth. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 2010: 27(3): 231–44.
30.
WeaverHN. The healthy living in two worlds project: An inclusive model of curriculum development. Journal of Indigenous Voices in Social Work, 2010: 1(1): 1–18.
