In the fall of 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded a grant to The Houston Regional HIV/AIDS Resource Group, Inc., and Sage Associates, Inc., to study the HIV risk behaviors of urban Native American/Alaska Natives as part of a special populations study. While Native Americans/Alaska Natives comprise 0.83% of the Houston Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA), few studies have been conducted in this hidden population and none have focused on behaviors that place the population at risk for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. While the study was primarily descriptive and generalizability must be done with caution, it did present interesting information that may mirror the general urban Native population. This study identified not only risk behaviors, but also concerns regarding lifestyles and health care that warrant further review. These include high substance use, frequent incarcerations, lack of insurance, lack of perceived susceptibility to HIV infection, and underemployment/unemployment.

To recruit participants to the study, it was necessary to promote the study directly to the community through advertisements in weekly publications, monthly Native newsletters, and during powwows and other social gatherings. These efforts generated word-of-mouth promotion that ultimately garnered the most referrals. 100 self-selecting and self-identifying Natives were interviewed by researchers (56 females and 44 males), using a modified version of the HIV Testing Survey (HITS) instrument, and at the conclusion of the interview, received a $50 gift certificate to Wal-Mart. Of the 100 respondents, 2 were HIV positive.

Funded by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.