Early and regular prenatal care appointments are imperative for the health of both the mother and baby to help prevent complications associated with pregnancy and birth. American Indian women are especially at risk for health disparities related to pregnancy and lack of prenatal health care. Previous research has outlined a basic understanding of the reasons for lack of prenatal care for women in general; however, little is known about care received by pregnant women at Indian Health Service hospitals. Qualitative interviews were carried out with 58 women to better understand the prenatal health experiences of American Indian women from one tribe in the Northern Plains. Several themes related to American Indian women’s prenatal health care experiences were noted, including communication barriers with physicians, institutional barriers such as lack of continuity of care, and sociodemographic barriers. Solutions to these barriers, such as a nurse midwife program, are discussed.

Background Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) comprise a continuum of lifelong outcomes in those born prenatally exposed to alcohol. Although studies have shown no differences in rates by race, FASD is of particular concern for American Indian communities. One tribally-run prevention program is the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) CHOICES Program, which is modeled after the evidence-based CHOICES program that was focused on preconceptional prevention of alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP) by reducing risky drinking in women at-risk for pregnancy and/or preventing unintended pregnancy. Methods The OST CHOICES Program was made culturally appropriate for American Indian women and implemented with three communities, two on the reservation and one off. Data on drinking, sexual activity, and contraception use were collected at baseline and 3- and 6-months post-intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and a random intercept generalized estimating equation (GEE) model. Results A total of 193 non-pregnant American Indian women enrolled in the OST CHOICES Program, and all were at-risk for AEP because of binge drinking and being at-risk for an unintended pregnancy. Fifty-one percent of participants completed both 3- and 6-month follow-up. Models showed a significant decrease in AEP risk from baseline at both 3- and 6-month follow-ups, indicating the significant impact of the OST CHOICES intervention. Women in the OST CHOICES Program were more likely to reduce their risk for AEP by utilizing contraception, rather than decreasing binge drinking. Conclusions Even with minor changes to make the CHOICES intervention culturally and linguistically appropriate and the potential threats to program validity those changes entail, we found a significant impact in reducing AEP risk. This highlights the capacity for the CHOICES intervention to be implemented in a wide variety of settings and populations.

Alcohol-exposed pregnancies are especially of concern for American Indians. The Indian Health Service reported that 47% to 56% of pregnant patients admitted to drinking alcohol during their pregnancy. In addition, rates of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are estimated to be as high as 3.9 to 9.0 per 1,000 live births among American Indians in the Northern Plains, making prevention of alcohol-exposed pregnancies an important public health effort for this population. The goal of this article is to add to the literature on universal prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders by describing the development, dissemination, and evaluation of a media campaign on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders that was created by and for American Indian communities in the Northern Plains.

The intervention was successful in modifying self-reported drinking and contraception behaviors. This project is the only one to date that has focused on preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies in nonpregnant American Indian women.

Objectives To examine the impact of gender norms on American Indian (AI) adolescents' sexual health behavior. Methods The project collected qualitative data at a reservation site and an urban site through 24 focus groups and 20 key informant interviews. Results The reasons that AI youth choose to abstain or engage in sexual intercourse and utilize contraception vary based on gender ideologies defined by the adolescent's environment. These include social expectations from family and peers, defined roles within relationships, and gender empowerment gaps. Conclusions Gender ideology plays a large role in decisions about contraception and sexual activity for AI adolescents, and it is vital to include re-definitions of gender norms within AI teen pregnancy prevention program.

Alcohol-exposed pregnancies are a health issue for many American Indian communities. The goal of this manuscript is to outline how an existing alcohol-exposed pregnancy prevention program with non-pregnant women (Project CHOICES) was modified to fit the needs and norms of an American Indian community. The Oglala Sioux Tribe CHOICES Program was developed and implemented using community feedback through initial meetings, reviewing materials, gathering input into recruitment and intervention logistics, and conducting interviews to evaluate the program. The intervention was implemented and has been enrolling non-pregnant American Indian women for the past several years. While data collection is ongoing, it has shown preliminary success in changing behaviors and in impacting how the community views the prevention of alcohol-exposed pregnancies. Overall, this study highlights the potential to expand this prevention program to other sites and with other populations, such as adolescents. By the end of this article, readers will comprehend the steps necessary to replicate such a program at other tribal and rural sites.

Introduction-A tribally-led CHOICES (Changing High-Risk Alcohol Use and Increasing Contraception Effectiveness Study) Program has successfully decreased the risk of alcoholexposed pregnancies (AEPs) among adult American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women by either reducing risky drinking or increasing contraception use. However, a community needs assessment revealed a need to implement a similar intervention with AI/AN teens. The goal of the project was to develop and establish the acceptability of CHOICES for AI/AN teens.Methods-Key-informant interviews were conducted to review the existing OST CHOICES intervention. After modifications to the existing program, focus groups with AI/AN teens were conducted to ensure validity and to finalize the OST CHAT (CHOICES for American Indian Teens) intervention.Results-Key-informant (N=15) participants suggested that a web-based intervention may increase teen engagement by making the intervention more interactive and visually stimulating. Based on this formative research, CHAT was developed via REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture). Feedback on the online CHAT curriculum was given by focus groups comprised of AI/AN adolescents, and participants felt that this type of intervention would be both acceptable and able to implement with a community of reservation-based teens.Conclusions-This study outlines the development of a web-based intervention for an AEP intervention for AI/AN teens and will inform future prevention efforts. Implications include an expansion of the evidence-based CHOICES intervention for AI/AN teens and also development of a web-based intervention for rural, reservation-based AI/AN communities.

Research has determined that the prevention of alcohol-exposed pregnancies (AEP) must occur pre-conceptually with women, either by reducing alcohol intake in women planning pregnancy or at-risk for becoming pregnant, or by preventing pregnancy in women drinking at risky levels. One such AEP prevention programme with non-pregnant American Indian women is the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) CHOICES (Changing High-risk alcohOl use and Increasing Contraception Effectiveness Study) Programme, which shows promise in reducing AEP risk in American Indian women aged 18 or older. A community needs assessment was conducted with key informant interviews and focus groups with an emphasis on how to expand OST CHOICES. To identify interconnected themes, a content analysis methodology was used on the qualitative feedback from the focus groups and interviews. Altogether, key informant interviews were completed with 25 health and social service professionals. Eight focus groups were held with 58 American Indian participants, including adult women of child-bearing age, elder women, and adult men. Several sub-themes regarding the prevention of AEP with youth were identified, expanding the OST CHOICES curriculum into the schools, and the role of family and culture within AEP prevention.