Supporting the health of young people in the Cook Islands

Neti Tamarua-Herman¹, Yin Yin May Aung², Celeste Barrett-Watson³, Danielle Cochrane⁴, Upokoina Herrmann⁴, Karen Tairea², Siobhan Tu’akoi¹, Mark Vickers¹, Jacquie Bay¹

1. Liggins Institute, Auckland, New Zealand; 2. Te Marae Ora – Ministry of Health, Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 3. Tereora College, Rarotonga, Cook Islands; 4. Ministry of Education, Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

Globally Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) including diabetes, cancers and cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of preventable ill health, related disability and premature deaths. They exemplify a crisis that is disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries and communities where socioeconomic disparity occurs. The Cook Islands is a Small Island Developing State comprising 15 islands spread over 240 square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean. Typical of Pacific Island nations, the people of the Cook Islands have experienced rapid nutritional transition and carry one of the greatest burdens of NCD risk and disease globally. At 10-19 years-of-age, 62% of Cook Islanders are impacted by overweight, rising to 87% by age 18-24-years, and 92% by age 24-65-years.

DOHaD evidence suggests that interventions during adolescence should be applied in the Cook Islands. Approaches that are inclusive of adolescents, their families, and agencies working with adolescents are required. The Pacific Science for Health Literacy Project (PSHLP) is a school-based programme that contributes to supporting and improving the health of adolescents by engaging them in examining evidence and the designing actions.

In supporting adolescents to address NCD-related burdens that have emerged from social and biological histories and are magnified by challenges such as climate change, it is essential to consider and address issues from an adolescent perspective. We present research undertaken to develop a health-promotion model within a Cook Islands context, aiming to address issues and concerns of adolescents. Evidence identified how cultural identity and practices, spiritual and health beliefs and social networks impact on health-related behaviors. This led to the development of the “Pu Ara Model” which utilizes a positive youth development approach, focusing on opportunities rather than problems. Evidence emerging from youth-centric health promotion such as PSHLP indicates that the Pu Ara Model can contribute to strengthening youth empowerment and could have value a range of socio-cultural contexts.

Tamarua-Herman, N., Aung., Y.Y.M., Barrett-Watson, C., Cochrane, D., Herrmann, U., Tairea, K., Tu’akoi, S., Vickers, M.H., & Bay, J.L. (2019). Supporting the health of young people in the Cook Islands. DOHaD ANZ Conference, Melbourne, Australia.