scholarly journals Knowledge and attitudes of schoolteachers in the Pacific Islands to childhood hearing loss and hearing services: A national survey protocol for Samoa

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 205031212110415
Author(s):  
Annette Kaspar ◽  
Sione Pifeleti ◽  
Carlie Driscoll
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Impairment ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Island Region ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Childhood Hearing Loss

Objectives: The Pacific Island region is estimated to have among the highest rates of childhood ear disease and hearing loss in the world. The adverse effects of childhood hearing loss include delayed speech/language development, learning difficulties, and reduced social-emotional well-being. Schoolteachers and early childhood educators are among the first professionals who may suspect hearing loss in their young students, and they are well-placed to initiate referrals to appropriate health services. Given the current efforts to implement Inclusive Education in the Pacific Islands, teachers are also uniquely positioned to positively influence, support, and advocate for a child with hearing loss in their classroom. There are no previous studies on this topic from the Pacific Island region. Methods: The study will use a national survey and convenience sampling design. Teachers attending the Annual Teachers Conference in Samoa will be invited to independently and anonymously completed a 23-item questionnaire on childhood hearing loss and hearing services. Questions are in English, with a Samoan translation provided. The participating teachers will be required to respond with “yes,” “no,” or “unsure,” and to mark their response on the questionnaire. The questions assess knowledge of biomedical etiology of hearing impairment, knowledge of the adverse impacts of hearing loss on childhood development, knowledge of hearing loss identification and intervention, and attitudes toward children with a hearing impairment. Results: Not applicable for a study protocol. Conclusion: We publish these protocols to facilitate similar studies in other low- and middle-income countries, and especially among our Pacific Island neighbors.

Promoting Peace Through Climate Change Adaptation

2019 ◽  
pp. 462-488
Author(s):  
Peni Hausia Havea
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Island Region ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Impact

Climate change has affected people's peace in the form of impact on livelihoods, health, and/or well-being. Most of these peace impacts, however, are felt significantly by people who are living in the low-lying communities in the Pacific, who are within and/or close to the Ring of Fire. This chapter is based on a study of peace and climate change adaptation that was conducted in the Pacific island region in 2016. It took place in five communities in Suva, Fiji: Vatuwaqa, Raiwaqa, Raiwai, Samabula, and Toorak. It highlights the impact of climate change on peace, and then it indicated how peace can be promoted in the form of climate change adaptation for these communities. Based on the results of this research, the author recommends that peace should be incorporated into the Pacific islands national adaptation plan.

Promoting Peace Through Climate Change Adaptation

2022 ◽  
pp. 1476-1503
Author(s):  
Peni Hausia Havea
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Island Region ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Impact

Climate change has affected people's peace in the form of impact on livelihoods, health, and/or well-being. Most of these peace impacts, however, are felt significantly by people who are living in the low-lying communities in the Pacific, who are within and/or close to the Ring of Fire. This chapter is based on a study of peace and climate change adaptation that was conducted in the Pacific island region in 2016. It took place in five communities in Suva, Fiji: Vatuwaqa, Raiwaqa, Raiwai, Samabula, and Toorak. It highlights the impact of climate change on peace, and then it indicated how peace can be promoted in the form of climate change adaptation for these communities. Based on the results of this research, the author recommends that peace should be incorporated into the Pacific islands national adaptation plan.

scholarly journals Knowledge and attitudes of university health students in the Pacific Islands towards childhood hearing loss and hearing services: a Samoan survey study protocol

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000998
Author(s):  
Annette Kaspar ◽  
Sione Pifeleti ◽  
Carlie Driscoll
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Nursing Students ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Childhood Hearing Loss

IntroductionThe Pacific Islands have among the highest rates of ear disease and hearing loss in the world, especially among children. Given that Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)/audiology specialists are limited in the region, the successful implementation of ear and hearing health services will depend on the participation and support of the wider community of health professionals. There are currently no studies from the Pacific Islands investigating the knowledge and attitudes of either health students or health professionals towards childhood hearing loss and hearing services.Methods and analysisSurvey of medical and nursing students (n=370) currently enrolled at the National University of Samoa. Students will independently and anonymously complete a 10-item questionnaire. The questions assess attitudes to childhood hearing loss (two questions), knowledge of aetiology of childhood hearing loss (three questions), and knowledge of identification and interventions for children with hearing loss (five questions). Responses are based on a 5-point Likert scale (Strongly agree/Agree/Neutral/Disagree/Strongly disagree).Discussion/conclusionWe publish these protocols to facilitate similar studies in other low-income and middle-income countries, and especially among our Pacific Island neighbours.

scholarly journals Estimated prevalence of hearing loss and provision of hearing services in Pacific Island nations

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sanders ◽  
Natasha Houghton ◽  
Ofa Dewes ◽  
Judith McCool ◽  
Peter Thorne
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Otitis Media ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
Pacific Island Nations

INTRODUCTION: Hearing impairment (HI) affects an estimated 538 million people worldwide, with 80% of these living in developing countries. Untreated HI in childhood may lead to developmental delay and in adults results in social isolation, inability to find or maintain employment, and dependency. Early intervention and support programmes can significantly reduce the negative effects of HI. AIM: To estimate HI prevalence and identify available hearing services in some Pacific countries — Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga. METHODS: Data were collected through literature review and correspondence with service providers. Prevalence estimates were based on census data and previously published regional estimates. RESULTS: Estimates indicate 20–23% of the population may have at least a mild HI, with up to 11% having a moderate impairment or worse. Estimated incidence of chronic otitis media in Pacific Island nations is 3–5 times greater than other Australasian countries in children under 10 years old. Permanent HI from otitis media is substantially more likely in children and adults in Pacific Island nations. Several organisations and individuals provide some limited hearing services in a few Pacific Island nations, but the majority of people with HI are largely underserved. DISCUSSION: Although accurate information on HI prevalence is lacking, prevalence estimates of HI and ear disease suggest they are significant health conditions in Pacific Island nations. There is relatively little support for people with HI or ear disease in the Pacific region. An investment in initiatives to both identify and support people with hearing loss in the Pacific is necessary. KEYWORDS: Health services; hearing loss; otitis media; Pacific Islands

scholarly journals Australia’s Middle Power Approach Towards Climate Change in Pacific Island

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Siti Dinda Narisya
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Unique Feature ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
Island Region ◽  
Middle Power ◽  
Island States ◽  
The Pacific

This article tends to examine the ways Australia approaching climate change in the region associated with its middle power status. Pacific Islands or Southwest Pacific Region is a regional territory that almost of all its surface covered by water. The region is prominent for having numbers of island countries or island states which are very dependent on natural conditions. They are vulnerable to the change of nature thus it hits their top national security. The issue of climate change in recent years has gotten more serious attention from all over the world and so does the pacific island region with no exception. Australia with its unique feature of being known as a middle power state and as the most secure nation in the region has served a distinctive approach on addressing the issue of climate change. The behavior and identity approach are adequately in line to establish certain strategies associated with middle power status in the role of guiding Australia’s foreign policy.

Ethical considerations for universal newborn hearing screening in the Pacific Islands: a Samoan case study

2020 ◽  
pp. medethics-2020-106718
Author(s):  
Annette Kaspar ◽  
Carlie Driscoll ◽  
Sione Pifeleti ◽  
Penaia A Faumuina
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Professional Community ◽  
Hearing Screening ◽  
Newborn Hearing Screening ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening ◽  
Newborn Hearing

Permanent congenital and early-onset hearing impairment (PCEOHI) is the most common sensory disorder among newborns. The WHO recommends newborn and infant hearing screening for all member states to facilitate early identification and intervention for children with PCEOHI. Ethical implications of newborn/infant hearing screening in low-income and middle-income countries should be considered. Although the Pacific Island region is estimated to have among the highest global burden of hearing loss, hearing health services are limited and virtually non-existent in Pacific Island countries. The aim of this brief report is to consider the ethical implications of implementing hospital-based universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) in Samoa. Based on well-acknowledged screening principles, this report found that the Samoan context does not satisfy the screening principles for such a programme, and that the implementation of UNHS would, therefore, be unethical. This conclusion was reached even after considering the hypothetical provision of necessary screening and diagnostic audiology equipment from external donors. We recommend that current efforts should be directed towards the wider professional community involved in the daily care of children with a permanent hearing loss. Given the high prevalence of paediatric ear disease in the Pacific Islander population, an interim ear and hearing programme could be considered at the community level. These strategies should provide the infrastructure and referral pathways required in the advent of UNHS in Samoa.

scholarly journals The need for translation and cultural adaptation of audiology questionnaires to enable the development of hearing healthcare policies in the Pacific Islands: a Samoan perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Kaspar ◽  
Sione Pifeleti ◽  
Carlie Driscoll
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Cultural Adaptation ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Hearing Health ◽  
Translation And Cultural Adaptation

Abstract Background Translation and cultural adaptation of health resources is an integral part of good health-policy development and health program implementation. As part of our efforts to address ear disease and hearing loss in the Pacific Islands, we promote the translation an cultural adaptation of hearing-related questionnaires into local languages and cultural contexts. The Pacific Islands have among the highest rates of ear and hearing disorders in the world and, given the scarcity of ear/hearing health professionals in the region, a public health approach that uses appropriately translated ear/hearing health resources is highly recommended to tackle this health issue. Although formal translation and culturally adaption of hearing-related questionnaires may seem a cumbersome process, the aim of this commentary is to illustrate the potential benefits of translating two audiology questionnaires for our use in Samoa. We have carefully selected questionnaires that will serve multiple purposes (i.e., clinical, epidemiology, monitoring and evaluation, evidence-based health policy formulation and implementation), thus making the process ultimately beneficial and worthwhile. Main body The leading cause of preventable hearing loss among Samoan adolescents and young people is excessive noise exposure to recreational and environmental noise. The Youth Attitude to Noise Scale is a validated tool that assess knowledge and attitudes of adolescents towards recreational and environmental noise, and a Samoan version should provide preliminary data to guide health promotion activities for adolescents on noise-induced hearing loss. The leading cause of hearing disability among older adult Samoans is age-related hearing loss. The Revised Hearing Handicap Inventory is a tool that assess the emotional and social/situational impact of hearing difficulty among older adults, and a Samoan version should provide preliminary data to guide the development of auditory rehabilitation services. Conclusion Investment in quality translations and cultural adaptations of hearing-related questionnaires is essential for the development of audiology services that are relevant to their Pacific Island context. The use of formally translated audiology questionnaires in research studies will optimise data quality, leading to improved hearing health promotion activities, as well as provision of evidence for advocacy for public health noise policy legislation.

“We Are Our History”: Reviewing the History of Education in Hawaiʻi and Oceania

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 632-643
Author(s):  
Derek Taira
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islands ◽  
History Of Education ◽  
Oral Traditions ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
History Of ◽  
National Boundaries ◽  
Pacific Island Nations

There is a “world of difference,” anthropologist Epeli Hauʻofa argued, “between viewing the Pacific as ‘islands in a far sea’ and as ‘a sea of islands.’” The distinction between both perspectives, he explained, is exemplified in the two names used for the region: Pacific Islands and Oceania. The former represents a colonial vision produced by white “continental men” emphasizing the smallness and remoteness of “dry surfaces in a vast ocean far from centers of power.” This understanding has produced and sustained an “economistic and geographic deterministic view” emphasizing Pacific Island nations as “too small, too poor, and too isolated” to take care of themselves. The latter, in contrast, denotes a grand space inhabited by brave and resourceful people whose myths, legends, oral traditions, and cosmologies reveal how they did not conceive of themselves in such “microscopic proportions.” Rather, Oceanic peoples have for over two millennia viewed the sea as a “large world” where peoples, goods, and cultures moved and mingled unhindered by fixed national boundaries.

scholarly journals Pacific Regionalism: Historical Anachronism, or Pathway to Future Development?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Elspeth Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Pacific Island ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Pacific People ◽  
Island States ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Regional Organisations

<p>This study looks at the relevance of regional organisations in the Pacific Island region. It analyses the history of the key regional organisations: the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS). Since their establishment, there has been extensive criticism of the work of these organisations. This study tests and analyses the issue of legitimacy within supra-national organisations, and questions whether regionalism in the Pacific is an anachronism of the past.  In the Pacific, regionalism puts out a compelling argument for its existence. Throughout the region, small island developing states are spread across the world’s largest ocean. Pacific Island states face many challenges, including: small economies, geographical disadvantages, vulnerability to climate change, varying availability to resources and a diverse range of cultures and languages. Regionalism provides a chance for these island states to influence world policy, build capacity in the region, promote good governance, maintain peaceful neighbourly relations, and create positive development outcomes.  The methodology uses qualitative research of document analysis and semi-structured interviews with key informants. The research claims a social constructivist epistemology and uses an inductive conceptual framework in order to find solutions to the complex challenges of Pacific regionalism.  It was found that regional organisations need to increase their transparency in order to enhance their legitimacy. They need provide a clearer evidence base, where all Pacific people can recognise and understand the benefit of regional organisations. The organisations need to work strategically to be nimble and reactive to upcoming critical junctures and issues. Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) agencies need to coordinate better amongst themselves, open up communication with all stakeholders and create clearer mandates. In order to promote positive development, all stakeholders and Pacific people need to take ownership of these organisations, and support the Framework for Pacific Regionalism process. This study argues that there is great potential for regionalism in the Pacific, but this will only be possible if the region works collectively to enhance the legitimacy of these organisations.</p>

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