American Indian youth and substance abuse: Tobacco use problems, risk factors and preventive interventions

After reviewing the special problems of smoked and smokeless tobacco use among American Indian people, this paper notesthe risks of early and regular substance use by Indian youth. Theoretical and empirical explanations for tobacco and substance use among Indian youth are then recounted. Based on those explanations, the authors outline the wisdom of interventions to prevent tobacco and other substance use among American Indian young people. Briefly, the authors describe their own original efforts to design such preventive interventions. The paper concludes by calling for additional research on the measurement and prevention of smoked and smokeless tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse among Indian children and adolescents.