The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #62956

Lisa Angus, MPH¹, Tam Lutz, MPH, MHA¹, Paul Stehr-Green, DrPH², Dale M. Bates, MPH³, Melissa G. Buckles, BA⁴, and Lourdes R. Schmitz, MPH⁵. (1) Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, 527 SW Hall, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97201, 503-228-4185, langus@npaihb.org, (2) Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center, 527 SW Hall #300, Portland, OR 97201, (3) Benewah Medical & Wellness Center, Coeur d'Alene Tribe, P.O. Box 388, Plummer, ID 83851, (4) Health Education Department, Fort Peck Tribal Health, P.O. Box 67, Poplar, MT 59255, (5) Health and Human Services, Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, 31912 Little Boston Road NE, Kingston, WA 98346

Vast disparities still exist in the health status of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) as compared to whites. Eliminating health disparities is one of the two major goals of Healthy People 2010, but success has been limited so far. One factor that has hindered efforts to reduce health disparities for AI/ANs is the following dilemma: health is “created” at the community level, but measures of AI/AN health--especially the social, behavioral, and lifestyle determinants of health--are available only at the regional or national level. The Indian Community Health Profile (ICHP) was designed to contribute to the resolution of this dilemma by providing AI/AN communities with a useful, useable, and valid way to assess and monitor their overall health status. It consists of 15 recommended community health status measures in four domains of health: socio-demographic; environmental; health and functional status; and health risk factors and positive health behaviors. The Profile has been pilot tested in three tribal communities in the Northwest and this presentation will highlight some lessons learned during that phase. These include: 1) the importance of both program flexibility and community engagement; 2) the relative merits of different sampling designs and data sources for tribal health assessments; and 3) program- and community-level strategies that facilitate creative use of the Profile results to address health disparities. The next phase of the project, in which the focus is on training regional-level personnel to support implementation of the ICHP in tribal sites across the nation, will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

At the close of the session, participants will be able to:
• Articulate the need for measures of AI/AN health at the tribal and community level.
• Describe the conceptual, methodological, and data source differences related to conducting a health profile in a small community versus at the state or national level.
• Identify and discuss the steps necessary for successful adaptation and implementation of the ICHP in tribal communities.

Keywords: Community Health, Data Collection

Related Web page: www.npaihb.org/epi/ichp/ichp.html

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board (Northwest Tribal Epidemiology Center)
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.