The Cedar Project: Impacts of policing among young Aboriginal people who use injection and non-injection drugs in British Columbia, Canada

Pan, Stephen W.; Christian, Chief Wayne; Pearce, Margo; Blair, Alden; Jongbloed, Kate; Zhang, Hongbin; Teegee, Mary; Thomas, Vicky; Schechter, Martin T.; Spittal, Patricia M.

doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2013.04.009

Cited by 20 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Short responses (1-40 words) to open-ended questions were recorded verbatim. Using a rapid qualitative analysis approach [ 29 ], two authors independently read and reread responses to identify recurring themes. Emerging themes were discussed, defined, and a coding manual was created.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cedar Project - Mobile Phone Use and Acceptability of Mobile Health Among Young Indigenous People Who Have Used Drugs in British Columbia, Canada: Mixed Methods Exploratory Study

Jongbloed

Pearce

Thomas

et al. 2020

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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Background Indigenous leaders continue to be concerned about high rates of HIV and barriers to HIV treatment among young Indigenous people involved in substance use. Growing evidence suggests that using mobile phones for health (mHealth) may be a powerful way to support connection with health services, including HIV prevention and treatment. Objective This study examined the patterns of mobile phone ownership and use among young Indigenous people who have used drugs living with or vulnerable to HIV and explored the acceptability of mHealth to support access to health care in this population. Methods The Cedar Project is a cohort study involving young Indigenous people who have used drugs in Vancouver and Prince George, British Columbia. This mixed methods exploratory study involved 131 Cedar Project participants enrolled in our WelTel mHealth program. At enrollment, participants completed a questionnaire related to mobile phone use and interest in mHealth. Data were linked to Cedar Project questionnaires and serodata. We present comparative statistics (quantitative) and results of a rapid thematic analysis (qualitative) related to mobile phone patterns and interest in receiving mHealth. Results Less than half of the participants (59/130; 45.4%) reported owning a phone. Among those with a phone, the majority owned a smartphone (46/59; 78%). Most participants with a phone reported having an unlimited texting plan (39/55; 71%), using the internet on their phone (44/59; 75%), and texting daily (44/55; 80%). A majority reported that using a mobile phone for health would be invaluable (120/130; 92.3%). There were no differences in mHealth acceptance between participants who owned a phone and those who did not (P>.99). All but one participant living with HIV felt using a mobile phone would be helpful for their health, while a small proportion of HIV-negative participants remained unsure (1.9% vs 11.7%; P=.047). In response to open-ended questions asking why using a mobile phone may be helpful for health, participants identified a diverse set of anticipated benefits: (1) connection for emotional, mental, and spiritual support, (2) connection to family, (3) staying in touch and/or being reachable, (4) overcoming current barriers to phone use, (5) convenience, privacy, and safety, and (6) access to health care and emergency services. Conclusions We observed high acceptance and interest in using mobile phone technology for health despite low rates of personal mobile phone connectivity among young Indigenous people who have used drugs living with and vulnerable to HIV in British Columbia, Canada. Mobile phones were viewed as a way to support connections and relationships that are seen as critical to health and well-being among young Indigenous people in this study. Findings may be useful for health care providers preparing to scale up mHealth programs to support HIV prevention and treatment in this population.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cedar Project - Mobile Phone Use and Acceptability of Mobile Health Among Young Indigenous People Who Have Used Drugs in British Columbia, Canada: Mixed Methods Exploratory Study

Jongbloed

Pearce

Thomas

et al. 2020

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…As a result, research on enforcement and perceived enforcement and Native Americans is limited. One study of young adults Aboriginal drug users in Canada that examined perceptions and interactions with police, found that Aboriginals were deeply distrustful of police, and increased enforcement was related to more risky behaviors like syringe sharing (Pan et al, 2013). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drinking Among Native American and White Youths: The Role of Perceived Neighborhood and School Environment

Friese

Grube

Seninger

2015

Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse

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This study examined whether differences in the perceived neighborhood and school environments account for differences in drinking behavior among Native American and White youths. Findings indicate that being Native American was indirectly related to drinking through perceived school and community variables. Higher drinking rates among Native Americans appear to be accounted for by lower school involvement, weaker neighborhood anti-drug norms, greater neighborhood disorganization and lower levels of perceived police enforcement. Results of this study highlight the potential importance of perceived school and neighborhood environments in drinking behavior among youths.

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“…[50][51][52][53] Similarly, we found that the differential routine experiences of men and women illustrated the intersection of prejudicial security guard practices and gendered power relations that render women disproportionately vulnerable to sexual assault and harassment, and men to physical assault in the context of daily activities. Prejudicial conduct by security guards on any grounds must be addressed through relevant cultural safety and other training for personnel.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…1,2 Our finding that excessive force is commonly employed by security guards toward PWUD builds upon research from around the globe drawing attention to the use of excessive force by police 11,12,51,54,55 and extends these trends into the domain of privatized policing activities. Consistent with previous work, we found that excessive force sometimes resulted in severe personal injury, underscoring the immediate public health impacts of these tactics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Public Health Impacts of Private Security Guards on People Who Use Drugs: a Qualitative Study

2015

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Private security guards occupy an increasingly prominent role in the policing of private and public spaces. There are growing concerns regarding security guards' potential to shape violence, discrimination, and adverse health outcomes among vulnerable populations, including people who use drugs (PWUD). This is relevant in Vancouver, Canada, where private security guards have increasingly been employed by private organizations to manage public and private spaces, including those within urban drug scenes. This qualitative study sought to understand interactions between PWUD and private security guards and explore their impacts on health care access, risks, and harms among PWUD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 PWUD recruited from two ongoing prospective cohort studies. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a coding framework comprised of a priori and emergent categories. Study data indicate that participants experience pervasive, discriminatory profiling and surveillance by security guards, which exacerbates existing social marginalization and structural vulnerability, particularly among PWUD of Aboriginal ancestry. Participants reported that security guards restrict PWUD's access to public and private spaces, including pharmacies and hospitals. PWUD also reported that their interactions with security guards often involved interpersonal violence and aggression, experiences that served to increase their vulnerability to subsequent risks and harms. Our findings highlight that private security forces contribute significantly to the everyday violence experienced by PWUD within drug scenes and elsewhere and do so in a manner very similar to that of traditional police forces. These findings point to the urgent need for greater oversight and training of private security guards in order to protect the health and safety of PWUD.

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The Cedar Project: Impacts of policing among young Aboriginal people who use injection and non-injection drugs in British Columbia, Canada

Cited by 20 publications

References 44 publications

The Cedar Project - Mobile Phone Use and Acceptability of Mobile Health Among Young Indigenous People Who Have Used Drugs in British Columbia, Canada: Mixed Methods Exploratory Study

The Cedar Project - Mobile Phone Use and Acceptability of Mobile Health Among Young Indigenous People Who Have Used Drugs in British Columbia, Canada: Mixed Methods Exploratory Study

Drinking Among Native American and White Youths: The Role of Perceived Neighborhood and School Environment

Exploring the Public Health Impacts of Private Security Guards on People Who Use Drugs: a Qualitative Study

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