Drug use in very rural Alaska villages

The Alaska Native Preschool Project was centered in the Head Start Programs of two typical Alaska native villages near the Bering Sea. Data were colle cted over 5 years, 1990 to 1995, from preschool parents (N = 342) with surv eys, a panel of villagers (N = 25 to 30) using qualitative interviews; vill agers using participant observation; and a limited review of public records . The villages typify the changing life of Alaskan villagers who live in th e Bering Straits area. Qualitative data indicated that a number of problems were associated with drug and alcohol use in the villages. The level of sm okeless tobacco use from surveys in the previous month among preschool pare nts (41%) was self-reported to be almost 10 times greater than the national level reported in the 1995 National Household Survey. The use of marijuana reported by preschool parents in the previous month was almost 3 times hig her than the 1995 National Household Survey estimates (19 vs 6.7%). Tobacco use in the previous month was reported at over 56%, a level that was over 1 1/2 times the level of use at 34.7% estimated from the 1995 National Hous ehold Survey. For 26-34 year olds, previous month alcohol use was lower for the village parents than estimated from the 1995 National Household Survey (38 vs 63%). The self-reported levels of other drug use among preschool pa rents were very low compared with overall United States rates.