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Golden CD, Ayroles J, Eurich JG, Gephart JA, Seto KL, Sharp MK, Balcom P, Barravecchia HM, Bell KK, Gorospe KD, Kim J, Koh WH, Zamborain-Mason J, McCauley DJ, Murdoch H, Nair N, Neeti K, Passarelli S, Specht A, Sunderland EM, Tekaieti A, Tekiau A, Tekoaua R, Timeon E. Study Protocol: Interactive Dynamics of Coral Reef Fisheries and the Nutrition Transition in Kiribati. Front Public Health 2022; 10:890381. [PMID: 35719655 PMCID: PMC9198247 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.890381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The Kiribati 2019 Integrated Household Income and Expenditure Survey (Integrated HIES) embeds novel ecological and human health research into an ongoing social and economic survey infrastructure implemented by the Pacific Community in partnership with national governments. This study seeks to describe the health status of a large, nationally representative sample of a geographically and socially diverse I-Kiribati population through multiple clinical measurements and detailed socio-economic surveys, while also conducting supporting food systems research on ecological, social, and institutional drivers of change. The specific hypotheses within this research relate to access to seafood and the potential nutritional and health benefits of these foods. We conducted this research in 21 of the 23 inhabited islands of Kiribati, excluding the two inhabited islands-Kanton Islands in the Phoenix Islands group with a population of 41 persons (2020 census) and Banaba Island in the Gilbert Islands group with a population of 333 persons (2020 census)-and focusing exclusively on the remaining islands in the Gilbert and Line Islands groups. Within this sample, we focused our intensive human health and ecological research in 10 of the 21 selected islands to examine the relationship between ecological conditions, resource governance, food system dynamics, and dietary patterns. Ultimately, this research has created a baseline for future Integrated HIES assessments to simultaneously monitor change in ecological, social, economic, and human health conditions and how they co-vary over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D. Golden
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Julien Ayroles
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Jacob G. Eurich
- Marine Sciences Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
- Environmental Defense Fund, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Jessica A. Gephart
- Department of Environmental Science, American University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Katherine L. Seto
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
| | - Michael K. Sharp
- Statistics for Development Division, Pacific Community, Noumea, New Caledonia
- Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Prentiss Balcom
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Haley M. Barravecchia
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Keegan K. Bell
- Marine Sciences Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Kelvin D. Gorospe
- Department of Environmental Science, American University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Joy Kim
- BAO Systems, Washington, DC, United States
| | - William H. Koh
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jessica Zamborain-Mason
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Douglas J. McCauley
- Marine Sciences Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Helen Murdoch
- Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Tarawa, Kiribati
| | - Nilendra Nair
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kaaro Neeti
- Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Tarawa, Kiribati
| | - Simone Passarelli
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Aaron Specht
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Elsie M. Sunderland
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Aritita Tekaieti
- National Statistics Office, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Tarawa, Kiribati
| | - Aranteiti Tekiau
- Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development, Tarawa, Kiribati
| | | | - Eretii Timeon
- Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Tarawa, Kiribati
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Capstick S, Norris P, Sopoaga F, Tobata W. Relationships between health and culture in Polynesia - a review. Soc Sci Med 2009; 68:1341-8. [PMID: 19195751 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2007] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
This review of journal articles and book chapters discusses the health beliefs characteristic of Polynesia and reveals several themes. These are: commonality in health conceptualisations across the cultures of the region which differ from the conceptualisations of biomedicine; the role of the relational self, traditional living and communalism in understanding health; the place of spirituality and religion in health and illness causation; and pluralism and pragmatism in health-seeking behaviour. Suggestions are made as to how awareness of key ideas might contribute to effective planning of health promotion and intervention activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart Capstick
- School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Abstract
Intriguing intellectual intersections offer the promise of enriching medical geography and making it both more theoretically sophisticated and more policy relevant. Employing a socio-ecological model of health, this paper explores several of these intersections, including the incorporation of gender into our research frameworks. As a context, the complex reasons for the increased interest in women's health over the past two decades, including the persistent tensions surrounding this interest, are reviewed. Drawing not only from conventional sources but also from literature on gender relations, domestic violence and aging in the Pacific as well as recent reports on health and socioeconomic development, key issues for women's health in the Pacific Islands are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- N D Lewis
- Department of Geography, College of Social Sciences, University of Hawaii, Honolulu 96822, USA
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McNally NJ, Phillips DR, Williams HC. The problem of atopic eczema: aetiological clues from the environment and lifestyles. Soc Sci Med 1998; 46:729-41. [PMID: 9522432 DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(97)00174-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Atopic eczema is the most common inflammatory skin disease in children, affecting around 10% of children in the developed world. It can be a distressing condition, influencing children's well-being, personal and educational development, and family life, and it has huge economic implications for health services and individual budgets. Like other atopic diseases such as asthma and hay fever, the prevalence of atopic eczema has increased substantially over the last 30 years, for reasons largely unknown. Although a genetic predisposition to the disease has been implicated, evidence from a range of sources suggests that environmental factors play a crucial role in the disease expression. This paper reviews the epidemiology of atopic eczema, with particular attention to potential environmental aetiological factors and draws evidence from studies in the UK and internationally. First, atopic eczema has been found to vary socially and to be more prevalent in the UK among social class I and II families than among other socio-economic groups. Second, it has been suggested that cross infection from other siblings in large families may have a protective role in atopic disease expression. Third, it has been proposed that an increased risk of atopic eczema may result from decreases in helminthic infestation. Fourth, studies of migrant groups have shown large increases in disease prevalence compared with migrants' country of origin, suggesting clues as to the importance of socio-economic and environmental changes such as those associated with industrialization. Finally, a distinct and consistent geographical pattern of eczema has been observed in the UK which cannot be explained by social class distribution. The various types of study have attempted to identify reasons for differences in prevalence but, to date, no definitive causation has been identified. In some cases, specific risk factors have been suggested and include house dust mites, dietary allergens and irritants. It is argued here that the aetiology is unlikely to be simple or uni-causal and that an understanding of the relationships between the disease and behaviour, lifestyle, home and external environmental factors is crucial. This paper reports the preliminary stages of an interdisciplinary research project involving dermatologists, epidemiologists and health geographers, and calls for investigation into associations between atopic eczema and possible environmental and lifestyle factors. These include behavioural factors, microenvironment factors and macroenvironments.
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Affiliation(s)
- N J McNally
- Department of Geography, University of Nottingham, UK
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