Community-led substance use prevention for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth in rural Hawaiʻi
Community-driven drug prevention implementation strategies for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth in rural Hawai'i
This project works with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth, families, and schools to spread and keep a culturally grounded substance-use prevention program in rural Hawaiʻi.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Judge Baker Children's Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11146716 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I am a Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander student, parent, or teacher in rural Hawaiʻi, this project partners with our community to bring the Hoʻouna Pono curriculum into local schools. The team uses community-based participatory methods so locals help decide how the program is delivered and sustained. They will run community-led innovation tournaments to generate ideas and use real-time checks (ecological momentary assessment) to track how the program is working and make quick adjustments. The work focuses on the Windward District of the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education and aims to increase local ownership and long-term use of the curriculum.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander middle and high school students, their families, and teachers in rural Hawaiʻi (especially the Windward District) who are willing to take part in school-based prevention activities.
Not a fit: Young people living outside the target rural Hawaiʻi communities or individuals with established, severe substance use disorders needing clinical treatment may not gain direct benefit from this prevention-focused work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reduce youth substance use in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities by making a culturally relevant prevention program easier to adopt and keep in schools.
How similar studies have performed: Hoʻouna Pono has been developed and tested in prior federally funded work, but applying community-led innovation tournaments and real-time monitoring together in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth is a new approach.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Judge Baker Children's Center — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Okamura, Kelsie — Judge Baker Children's Center
- Study coordinator: Okamura, Kelsie
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.