Nen nkUmbiEdaHiYedo Plus NE A School-Based Program to Improve Sexual Health, Mental Health, and Reduce Substance Use Among American Indian Youth Ages 12 to 18

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying a holistic, culturally focused program called Nen nkUmbiEdaHiYedo Plus NE designed to support American Indian youth aged 12 to 18. This program aims to improve sexual health, mental health, and reduce substance use by teaching skills and knowledge about healthy relationships, puberty, pregnancy prevention, abstinence, substance refusal, and positive mental health. The study compares youth who participate in this program to a control group that does not receive the educational materials to see if the program leads to better health outcomes. Youth in the intervention group will take part in a 9-month educational program featuring 18 modules covering topics like cultural teachings, family roles, ceremonies, and traditional knowledge, along with health education tailored by age and gender. Caregivers will attend three in-person meetings to discuss youth development, substance use prevention, mental health, and sexual health topics. School personnel will join three workshops to learn about cultural values, communication skills, and prevention strategies to better support youth. Participants will be assessed through surveys at the start, 9 months, 14 months, and 26 months later to measure changes in condom use, sexual activity, substance use, mental health symptoms, caregiver-youth communication, and cultural connectedness. Researchers will track a wide range of outcomes including sexual behavior, substance use frequency, mental health scores, and communication quality. The study will observe how these measures change over time to evaluate the impact of the intervention on youth health and wellbeing.

Nen ŨnkUmbi/EdaHiYedo Plus (We Are Here Now Plus): a Multi-level Intervention to Reduce Health Disparities Among American Indian Youth