Pacific Island Health - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz Catholic News New Zealand Thu, 09 Jul 2020 06:54:55 +0000 en-NZ hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cathnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/cropped-cathnewsfavicon-32x32.jpg Pacific Island Health - CathNews New Zealand https://cathnews.co.nz 32 32 70145804 The little ventilator that could https://cathnews.co.nz/2020/07/09/the-little-ventilator-that-could/ Thu, 09 Jul 2020 05:54:25 +0000 https://cathnews.co.nz/?p=128537 Christchurch-based anaesthetist John Hyndman is no stranger to complicated medical machines. He's used them for decades. But he prefers them when they are working properly. Otherwise, they are kind of scary. Particularly for his patients. So he was shocked when, in the early 2000s, he was doing voluntary work in small hospitals in the Pacific Read more

The little ventilator that could... Read more]]> Christchurch-based anaesthetist John Hyndman is no stranger to complicated medical machines. He's used them for decades.

But he prefers them when they are working properly. Otherwise, they are kind of scary. Particularly for his patients.

So he was shocked when, in the early 2000s, he was doing voluntary work in small hospitals in the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, and he found himself trying to work with patched-up anaesthetic machines originally sent over from New Zealand and other developed countries. Read more

The little ventilator that could]]> 128537 Caritas: Supporting Pacific nations prepare for COVID-19 https://cathnews.co.nz/2020/04/06/caritas-pacific-covid-19/ Mon, 06 Apr 2020 07:52:19 +0000 https://cathnews.co.nz/?p=125893 Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand's relationships with their partners on the ground allows the aid agency to help Pacific nations respond to their unique needs in the context of their communities. Read more

Caritas: Supporting Pacific nations prepare for COVID-19... Read more]]> Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand's relationships with their partners on the ground allows the aid agency to help Pacific nations respond to their unique needs in the context of their communities. Read more

Caritas: Supporting Pacific nations prepare for COVID-19]]> 125893 France accepts blame for nuclear tests illness in French Polynesia https://cathnews.co.nz/2019/05/30/france-nuclear-tests-illness-pacific/ Thu, 30 May 2019 07:54:52 +0000 https://cathnews.co.nz/?p=118054 France has officially acknowledged that French Polynesians were effectively forced into accepting almost 200 nuclear tests conducted over 30 years and that it is responsible for compensating them for the illnesses caused by the fallout. The French parliament issued the admission in a bill reforming the status of the collectivity of 118 islands in the Read more

France accepts blame for nuclear tests illness in French Polynesia... Read more]]> France has officially acknowledged that French Polynesians were effectively forced into accepting almost 200 nuclear tests conducted over 30 years and that it is responsible for compensating them for the illnesses caused by the fallout.

The French parliament issued the admission in a bill reforming the status of the collectivity of 118 islands in the South Pacific with MPs saying the change should make it easier for the local population to request compensation for cancer and other illnesses linked to radioactivity. Continue reading

France accepts blame for nuclear tests illness in French Polynesia]]> 118054 Travellers could be spreading dengue in the Pacific https://cathnews.co.nz/2017/03/02/travellers-spreading-dengue-pacific/ Thu, 02 Mar 2017 06:50:00 +0000 https://cathnews.co.nz/?p=91467 The World Health Organisation says it's likely dengue is being spread across the Pacific by travellers. In the Solomon Islands more than 10-thousand dengue fever cases have been confirmed since an outbreak last August, Vanuatu has had more than 1700 since November, and New Caledonia has had more than 1-thousand cases since September. WHO surveillance Read more

Travellers could be spreading dengue in the Pacific... Read more]]> The World Health Organisation says it's likely dengue is being spread across the Pacific by travellers.

In the Solomon Islands more than 10-thousand dengue fever cases have been confirmed since an outbreak last August, Vanuatu has had more than 1700 since November, and New Caledonia has had more than 1-thousand cases since September.

WHO surveillance officer Viema Biaukula said many of the outbreaks had been identified as dengue serotype 2 which she said was likely being spread by travel. Continue reading

Travellers could be spreading dengue in the Pacific]]> 91467 Tonga's King asks church to promote healthier lifestyle https://cathnews.co.nz/2014/07/01/tongas-king-opens-wesley-church-conference/ Mon, 30 Jun 2014 19:03:38 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=59821

King Tupou VI opened the 91st Free Wesleyan Church Annual Conference at the Laumalie Ma'oni'oni Church in Neiafu, Vava'u, on June 26. In his address he urged the church leaders to be front runners in promoting a healthier lifestyle. Radio Tonga reports that the King highlighted the impact on Tonga of consuming a lot of Read more

Tonga's King asks church to promote healthier lifestyle... Read more]]> King Tupou VI opened the 91st Free Wesleyan Church Annual Conference at the Laumalie Ma'oni'oni Church in Neiafu, Vava'u, on June 26.

In his address he urged the church leaders to be front runners in promoting a healthier lifestyle.

Radio Tonga reports that the King highlighted the impact on Tonga of consuming a lot of alcohol and tobacco, coupled with an unhealthy diet and little exercise.

Rev Dr ‘Ahio was appointed as the FWC President by the King.

Ahio confirmed Rev Dr Tevita Havea as the General Secretary.

Both men were re-elected to their positions by the conference on Wednesday, June 25.

Queen Nanasipau'u is also attending the conference, which ends on Monday, June 30.

The event takes to Neiafu around 2000 church members from throughout Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, United States, Japan, Fiji and Samoa.

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Tonga's King asks church to promote healthier lifestyle]]> 59821 Churches could be effective change agents in obesity campaign https://cathnews.co.nz/2012/10/05/churches-could-be-effective-change-agents-in-obesity-campaign/ Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:30:03 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=34631

Professor Boyd Swinburn believes churches in the Pacific Islands could be effective preachers of the good news about weight loss because any effective obesity programme needs to address socio-cultural barriers and churches are often the custodians of culture. He has reached this conclusion after a three-year project to reduce obesity levels in the Pacific which worked well in Australia but was ineffective Read more

Churches could be effective change agents in obesity campaign... Read more]]>

Professor Boyd Swinburn believes churches in the Pacific Islands could be effective preachers of the good news about weight loss because any effective obesity programme needs to address socio-cultural barriers and churches are often the custodians of culture.

He has reached this conclusion after a three-year project to reduce obesity levels in the Pacific which worked well in Australia but was ineffective in Fiji, Tonga and in the Pacific area in South Auckland.

He said some socio-cultural studies they had done at the same time to try to understand what some of the socio-cultural barriers might be to undertaking healthy eating and physical activity led him to conclude that these barriers are probably the major reason why this approach was not as successful in the Pacific populations as it was in the European populations.

After some discussion with church leaders Swinburn recognised that "the church was actually critically important as a if you like, a custodian of culture and determinant of culture, and so if there was going to be any shift in cultural norms, these leaders felt that it really needed to come from within the church or the church was the best kind of vehicle to be able to achieve that."

Boyd Swinburn is Professor of Population, Nutrition and Global Health at Deakin University, and one of Australia's leading experts on obesity.

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Churches could be effective change agents in obesity campaign]]> 34631 Mental health risks increase for Island youth living in NZ https://cathnews.co.nz/2012/03/30/mental-health-risks-increase-for-island-youth-living-in-nz/ Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:30:17 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=22216

A study has found Island youths who have been born outside the Pacific or who have migrated to countries such as New Zealand, Australia or the United States, are much more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. According to Dr Siale Foliaki, New Zealand's first Tongan consultant psychiatrist, who was involved in the study, "People Read more

Mental health risks increase for Island youth living in NZ... Read more]]> A study has found Island youths who have been born outside the Pacific or who have migrated to countries such as New Zealand, Australia or the United States, are much more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety.

According to Dr Siale Foliaki, New Zealand's first Tongan consultant psychiatrist, who was involved in the study, "People born in the Pacific have 50 per cent less rates of mental disorder compared to their relatives born in New Zealand and I think those rates would probably apply to Australian born Polynesians or American born Polynesians,"

The high suicide risk for young Pacific people has prompted Pasifikology, a network of Pasifika psychologists, graduates and psychology students to host a symposium on suicide at a conference in Auckland in early April.

The symposium will be part of the GPS 2012: Growing Pacific Solutions for our families conference. The conference is the first ever conference aimed specifically at addressing mental health, addiction and disability issues within New Zealand's Pacific community. It has been organised by Le Va, Pasifika within Te Pou - the national centre for mental health, addiction and disability workforce development.

Dr Monique Faleafa, national manager of Le Va and a member of Pasifikology said for the Pacific suicide statistics to change, Pacific people in New Zealand must be part of the solution.

"The New Zealand suicide prevention strategy clearly identifies that suicide prevention strategies aimed at Pacific peoples need to be tailored for those peoples, and mindful of specific cultural contexts and beliefs," Dr Faleafa said.

"It makes no sense to develop solutions which are not based in a cultural context."

New Zealand is home to the world's largest population of Pacific Islanders, with 265,974 identifying as Pacific at the last Census. Sixty per cent of those were born here.

Auckland is the biggest Pacific city in the world - a third of the country's Pacific Islanders live in Manukau with the second and third largest populations in Auckland City and Waitakere City respectively.

 

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Mental health risks increase for Island youth living in NZ]]> 22216 Church preaches weight reduction https://cathnews.co.nz/2011/08/02/church-preaches-weight-reduction/ Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:30:03 +0000 http://cathnews.co.nz/?p=8347

Some churches in New Zealand are taking part in programmes to encourage Pacific Island people to live in a healthier way. Some of the programmes are directed toward weight reduction. Aere Ki Mua is a new church-based health programme which has received $70,000 funding from the Waikato District Health Board's Healthy Eating Healthy Action (HEHA) programme. Each church project received Read more

Church preaches weight reduction... Read more]]> Some churches in New Zealand are taking part in programmes to encourage Pacific Island people to live in a healthier way. Some of the programmes are directed toward weight reduction.

Aere Ki Mua is a new church-based health programme which has received $70,000 funding from the Waikato District Health Board's Healthy Eating Healthy Action (HEHA) programme.

Each church project received a pack containing a blood pressure monitor, first aid kit, scales, stereo, camera and tape measure for members to monitor their progress.

K'aute Pasifika Trust chief executive Peta Karalus, who is overseeing the project, said the programme came about by recognising the influence of spirituality in the Pacific community.

Around 85 per cent of Pacific people in the Waikato attended or were affiliated with a church and Mrs Karalus said it was an important way to drive home the message of healthy eating and physical activity.

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