In Our Sacred Voice – An Exploration of Tribal and Community Leader Perceptions as Health Communicators of Disease Prevention among American Indians in the Plains

ABSTRACT

American Indians (AI) are disproportionately and significantly impacted by disease morbidity, mortalityand poor behavioral health outcomes. Health promotion and health communication programs exist to address these health disparities and health conditions; however, few programs fully integrate holistic approaches when targeting AI populations. The objective of this study was to explore how tribal and community leaders throughout the Central Plains (Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and South Dakota) viewed themselves as health communicators and health promoters within their communities. Members of the Center for American Indian Community Health (CAICH) conducted 39 in-depth interviews with members of federally recognized tribes living in reservation communities as well as urban tribal communities across the region. Results from the sample show that these individuals do not necessarily see themselves as the “authority” health communicator or health promoter within their tribe or community. They did perceive themselves and others as gatekeepers of pertinent health information. Social and cultural authority within culturally centered messaging and collective delivery of this type of health information from trusted sources within tribes and communities is perceived to bolster health communication programs and positively impact health outcomes among AI populations.

Acknowledgments

The authors would also like to thank the tribal communities for their contributions to this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The research teams and centers have combined and transitioned to a new university and is now known as the Institute for Indigenous Studies at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a CTSA grant from NCATS awarded to the University of Kansas for Frontiers: University of Kansas Clinical Translation Science Institute [#UL1TR002366].