Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Dec;106(12):2183-2189.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303453. Epub 2016 Oct 13.

Decreases in Suicide Deaths and Attempts Linked to the White Mountain Apache Suicide Surveillance and Prevention System, 2001-2012

Mary F Cwik  1 , Lauren Tingey  1 , Alexandra Maschino  1 , Novalene Goklish  1 , Francene Larzelere-Hinton  1 , John Walkup  1 , Allison Barlow  1
Affiliations

Decreases in Suicide Deaths and Attempts Linked to the White Mountain Apache Suicide Surveillance and Prevention System, 2001-2012

Mary F Cwik et al. Am J Public Health. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: We evaluated the impact of a comprehensive, multitiered youth suicide prevention program among the White Mountain Apache of Arizona since its implementation in 2006.

Methods: Using data from the tribally mandated Celebrating Life surveillance system, we compared the rates, numbers, and characteristics of suicide deaths and attempts from 2007 to 2012 with those from 2001 to 2006.

Results: The overall Apache suicide death rates dropped from 40.0 to 24.7 per 100 000 (38.3% decrease), and the rate among those aged 15 to 24 years dropped from 128.5 to 99.0 per 100 000 (23.0% decrease). The annual number of attempts also dropped from 75 (in 2007) to 35 individuals (in 2012). National rates remained relatively stable during this time, at 10 to 13 per 100 000.

Conclusions: Although national rates remained stable or increased slightly, the overall Apache suicide death rates dropped following the suicide prevention program. The community surveillance system served a critical role in providing a foundation for prevention programming and evaluation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Suicide Death Rates per 100 000 for US All Races, US Whites, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Apache Populations: 2001–2006 and 2007–2012 Note. AI/AN = American Indian/Alaska Native; IHS = Indian Health Service; CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
Suicide Attempts Among Males and Females Over Time in the Apache Suicide Surveillance System: Arizona, 2001–2014
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based injury statistics query and reporting system (WISQARS). Updated 2005. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars. Accessed September 14, 2016.
    1. CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention. Suicide facts at a glance, 2012. Available at: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/21865. Accessed September 14, 2016.
    1. Health for the World’s Adolescents. A Second Chance in the Second Decade. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2014. - PubMed
    1. Ensuring the Seventh Generation: Youth Suicide Prevention Toolkit. Portland, OR: National Indian Child Welfare Association; 2009.
    1. Hicks J. Statistical data on death by suicide by Nunavut Inuit, 1920 to 2014. 2015. Available at: http://www.tunngavik.com/files/2015/09/2015-09-14-Statistical-Historical.... Accessed September 14, 2016.

LinkOut - more resources