Off-Premise Alcohol Outlets on and Around Tribal Land: Risks for Rural California Indian Youth

Abstract

Investigating the alcohol environment for rural American Indian youth, we conducted 70 interviews with leading members and youth representatives of nine Southern California tribes. We also conducted brief observations in all 13 stores licensed to sell alcohol on and close to the reservation lands of the nine tribes. Underage youth may obtain alcoholic beverages at stores either directly through illegal sales to minors or indirectly through social sources. Stores are also environments within which alcoholic beverages and heavy drinking may become normalized for youth. Limitations and implications for convenience store-based prevention research on alcohol retail environment for youth in rural populations areas are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• alcohol
• availability
• environmental prevention
• American Indian
• adolescents
• qualitative

In addition to the authors, study team members included Juan A. Luna, Sergio Quintero, Richard McGaffigan, Rosalie Flores, Joel W. Grube and Marc Emerson. This work was supported by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) grant R01 AA016479, which was partially co-funded by the National Center (now Institute) on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Photos by the authors.

Notes

¹Descendants of Crazy Horse, a revered spiritual leader, have protested and sued the brewing company and its holding company (Teret & Michaelis, 2005).

²To protect the confidentiality of the tribes, we use a pseudonym selected by the tribal IRB to refer to the clinic.