Michael Anastario
Project Title: Developing a culturally appropriate life history calendar to measure substance use trajectories among Indigenous people who use injection drugs
There is a syndemic of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) and opioid use disorder (OUD) among Indigenous people in the United States (US). Indigenous people who use injection drugs (IPWIDs) experience elevated risks for HCV, OUD, and their harmful consequences. This pilot study aims to assess multiple lifetime substance use in quantitative behavioral life history calendar (LHC) data with 40 Assiniboine and Sioux IPWIDs. Analytically, LHC data can be used to analyze sequences of substance use across multiple participants to elucidate affinity typologies between social actors who do not necessarily have physical interaction, but shared experiences that emerge through synchronous acts. In this pilot study, the validity of lifetime recall of substances used via life history calendar (LHC) will first be explored, followed by an evaluation of the process of LHC administration with IPWID participants and LHC interviewers. Finally, IPWID substance use sequences will be examined over the life course using social sequence analysis. Findings will contribute an understanding of patterns in IPWID substance use sequences over the life course. This includes identifying factors associated with the probability of transitioning to injection drug use and understanding multiple substance use patterns in IPWIDs who inject Medication Assisted Treatment. The public health impacts of this research are the prevention of HCV and overdose from opioids in Indigenous communities.
Research Interests
Lifetime chemical exposures; Substance Abuse, Intravenous; Renal function decline; Life history elicitation techniques
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Promotion & Disease Prevention
Dr. Mike Anastario is a sociologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. His research is broadly concerned with culturally appropriate methods for assessing exposures to both chemicals and interventions in populations experiencing health disparities.