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A Community Needs Assessment of Urban Utah American Indians and Alaska Natives

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Abstract

The needs of Urban American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations are often not well understood. In order to inform programs and services, the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake (UIC-SL), in cooperation with researchers from the University of Utah, undertook a community needs assessment of AI/AN living along Utah’s Wasatch Front. A 60-item questionnaire was developed to capture information about health status, services used, unmet needs, and common sources of information about AI/AN community events and activities. Study participants (n = 336) were a convenience sample. Descriptive statistics, including mean, standard deviation, percentage, and 95% confidence intervals, were calculated. The most common health provider diagnosed medical conditions included hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. The prevalence of violence, substance abuse, and mental health conditions were also high among study participants and their families. Compared to the general Utah population, study participants experienced disparities relative to diabetes prevalence, cognitive and visual disabilities, and access to health care. In addition to health care services, respondents indicated a need for cultural, social, and educational programs. They also reported high levels of technology use, suggesting a possible avenue for communicating with this population. This community-based participatory research project provided rich information about the unmet needs of this urban AI/AN population. The results will be used to guide UIC-SL strategic planning, and a database created for this project will be available for future data collection, allowing for comparison of results between sites and over time.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to recognize Shawn Jimerson, LeAnna VanKeuren, Becky Menlove, Kolenya Holly, and Caren Frost for their assistance designing this needs assessment; Caren Frost, Kerry Wickman, and Joseph Lascurain for their work on the focus groups and intercept interviews; and Shelly Wagstaff and Brenda Ralls for providing Utah BRFSS data. We thank the UIC-SL board, staff, and community for their support, and we are especially grateful to the individuals who took time to participate in this project and share information about themselves and their family.

Funding

The study was funded by The George S. And Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and the Indian Health Service.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State of Alaska, Division of Public Health, Section of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Anchorage, AK, USA

    Tazlina R. Mannix

  2. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Sharon D. Austin

  3. University of Utah College of Nursing, 10 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA

    Jami L. Baayd & Sara E. Simonsen

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  1. Tazlina R. Mannix
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  2. Sharon D. Austin
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  3. Jami L. Baayd
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  4. Sara E. Simonsen
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Correspondence to Sara E. Simonsen.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Mannix, T.R., Austin, S.D., Baayd, J.L. et al. A Community Needs Assessment of Urban Utah American Indians and Alaska Natives. J Community Health 43, 1217–1227 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-018-0542-9

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