NCJ Number
187301
Editor(s)
Noreen Mokuau
Date Published
1998
Length
192 pages
Annotation
This monograph investigates cultural factors that influence the performance of substance abuse prevention programs and primary health care practices with Pacific Islander communities and describes cultural issues that affect Pacific Islander communities and the relationship of specific cultural factors to the design and evaluation of substance abuse prevention programs.
Abstract
The first of the eight chapters presents information on Pacific Islander health, with attention to a descriptive profile of Pacific Islander peoples, an overview of their health status, an identification of barriers to improved health, and resolutions that will lead to health equity. The second chapter emphasizes the importance of culturally competent programming for Pacific Islanders who have substance abuse problems, as it addresses population characteristics, the extent of substance use in this population, the major etiological theories or frameworks that have relevance for this population, and cultural themes that have implications for treatment and prevention. The next chapter discusses the psychometric evaluation of measures for assessing the effectiveness of a family-focused substance abuse prevention intervention among Pacific Island families and children. This is followed by a chapter that profiles the work of Ho'omau Ke Ola, a substance abuse treatment agency in Hawaii that has successfully incorporated non-Western methods of healing and diagnoses into its clinical program. Another chapter examines culture as a protective factor in two prevention programs for Hawaiians. The three concluding chapters consider drug use and other health issues for Samoans in California, issues of substance abuse among Chamorros, and drug problems and treatment in Micronesia. Chapter references and selected readings