May 17, 2023
Substance use is the second most identified health disparity issue in rural Hawaiian communities. Native Hawaiian youth report the highest rates of substance use, especially early initiation, and the highest need for substance and alcohol treatment among ethnic groups in Hawai‘i. This Learning Session will present an overview of youth substance use in Hawai‘i and briefly explore regional and ethnic differences in the data. It will also discuss risk and protective factors for substance use in the broader Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) community, and will present a cultural and social determinants of health framework that could be utilized to address substance use prevention among NHPI populations.
By the end of this learning session, participants will be able to:
Dr. Sarah Momilani Marshall, PhD, MSW, is a Native Hawaiian Postdoctoral Researcher with the University of Hawai'i Cancer Center. Her program of research concentrates on understanding social and behavioral determinants of health within rural Hawaiian communities, especially those that impact substance use resistance among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth. She is currently involved in research examining the sustainability of a culturally-grounded drug abuse prevention curriculum developed for Hawai‘i Island public schools and a newly funded study that focuses on the development and evaluation of an ENDS (electronic nicotine delivery system) prevention intervention for rural Hawaiian youth. She has recently been approved for a pilot study which will explore parental influences on Native Hawaiian youth substance use resistance. In August she will transition into her new position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa’s Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health.
For any other questions, please contact Britany Weile ([email protected]).
