HIV/AIDS risks among native American drug users: Key findings from focus group interviews and implications for intervention strategies

A multisite study funded through the National Institute on Drug Abuse and t he Office of Research on Minority Health was conducted in 1996 to determine the HIV/AIDS prevention needs of Native American out-of-treatment drug use rs. In an effort to recommend directions for HIV/AIDS prevention programmin g, one component of this study entailed conducting a series of focus groups at each of four sites: Anchorage, Alaska; Denver, Colorado; Flagstaff, Ari zona; and Tucson, Arizona. While some site differences were noted, several consistent thematic findings were revealed across all locations. Specifical ly, focus group members strongly recommended directly involving key members of the Native American community in conducting outreach and intervention a ctivities, involving Native people as the sources of information, and utili zing local and tribally relevant forms of delivering the message. Other con sistent themes included getting messages to smaller communities to prevent the potential "annihilation" of tribes, educating youth, and linking alcoho l prevention education to HIV/AIDS education. Findings from this study supp ort the idea that future HIV/AIDS prevention programs must take into accoun t subgroup and individual level differences among Native American drug user s.