Combining health prevention with education in science and social studies classrooms: The experiences of teachers in the Cook Islands in the Pacific Science for Health Literacy Project

Delaney Yaqona¹, Celeste Barrett-Watson², Karen Tairea³ and Jacquie Bay⁴

1. Nukutere College, Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 2. Tereora College, National College of the Cook Islands, Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 3. Te Marae Ora, Cook Islands Ministry of Health, Cook Islands, 4. Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand.

The Pacific Science for Health Literacy Project is a community-based participatory research collaboration involving Cook Islands Ministries of Education and Health, and the Liggins Institute. Based on principles of multi-sectoral partnership, the project has developed learning resources to support youth empowerment in relation to noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk, valuing equally goals related to education and health. The project has placed teachers of Social Studies, Science, and Health and PE in the role of health promotors through their development and use of contextual learning programmes that link directly to the Cook Islands National Curriculum.

In addition to the development of resources for youth, the project leadership team has developed resources to enable teachers to examine the issue of NCDs from a Cook Islands perspective, understand the evidence, and embed examination of this evidence into an array of innovative learning resources for use in schools.

Qualitative and quantitative methods have been used to understand the experience of participating teachers and students.

We report here on the experience and reflections of two senior teachers, neither of whom have a background in biological sciences or health, working alongside the Ministry of Health and the Liggins Institute to combine knowledge of education, health, social science and science in the development of this project. We will present evidence of increased engagement in learning alongside evidence showing significant changes in the perceptions of teachers and adolescents regarding the importance of health and wellbeing, and their potential to influence personal, family, and community health and wellbeing. We present this alongside our experience in engaging with the World Health Organization in relation to this project, and our role in working within the Worldwide Universities Network Public Health Schools group to develop improved international understanding of the role of schools in supporting reduction in NCD vulnerability in youth.

Yaqona, D., Barrett-Watson, C., Tairea, K., & Bay, J.L. (2016). Combining health prevention with education in science and social studies classrooms: The experiences of teachers in the Cook Islands in the Pacific Science for Health Literacy Project. The Annual Cook Islands Health Conference 2016, Rarotonga, Cook Islands.