Lecture Notes on Health and Well-Being in the Pacific

Introduction

• Speaker: Dr. Debbie Futapuati, Campus Director at USP, Cook Islands.
• Topic: Pacific health and well-being as part of UU 114 course.
• Focus: Compare global health concepts with Pacific understandings.
• Key Points:
  • Health influenced by environment, individual/community, policies, and various environments (cultural, economic, environmental, political, social).

Definitions of Health

United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (Article 25)

• Right to adequate standard of living for health and well-being (1948).
• Includes food, housing, medical care, and social services.
• Question Raised: What does "adequate" mean in the context of developing nations?

World Health Organization (WHO)

• Definition: Health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely absence of disease.
• Key Takeaway: Broadening of health concept beyond illness.

Pacific Understanding of Health

• Holistic View: Connectedness with people, land, self-identity, and indigenous knowledge support health.
• Common Elements in Pacific Health Frameworks:
  • Connectedness to family and ancestors.
  • Harmonious relationships with the environment.
  • Spiritual well-being tied to values and beliefs.
  • Happiness linked to well-being.

Pacific Health Frameworks

1. Fonafale Model

• Origin: Developed in the 1990s by Pacific people in New Zealand.
• Metaphor: Samoan fale (house) as a representation of health.
  • Foundation: Family and culture.
  • Supports: Physical, spiritual, and mental wellness.
  • Dimensions: Age, gender, socioeconomic status.
  • Impact of Context: Health fluctuates based on environment and context.

2. Petunua Model (Cook Islands)

• Metaphor: Vaka (canoe).
• Dimensions of Health:
  • Kopapa: Physical health.
  • Mana core: Mental and emotional health.
  • Vaidwa: Spiritual well-being (values and beliefs).
  • Corporate tangata: Social well-being (family connections).
  • Arorangi: Environmental health.

3. Ola Concept (Tuvalu)

• Metaphor: Feki (octopus).
• Characteristics:
  • Intertwining of social, cultural, economic, spiritual life, and education.
  • Focus on interconnectedness of health dimensions.
  • Emphasis on happiness and contentment.

Interactive Activity: Self-Reflection on Health

Part A: What Makes You Healthy?

• Draw a body outline.
• Write words inside outlining what contributes to your health (e.g., positive relationships, physical activity).

Part B: Barriers to Health

• Write down external factors that make it hard to be healthy (e.g., financial constraints, stress).

Part C: Dimensions of Health

• Identify which aspects of health each factor relates to (physical, mental, social, spiritual, environmental).

Impact of University on Health

• Positive Effects:
  • Decreased chance of being overweight.
  • Increased life expectancy (4 years longer).
• Negative Effects:
  • Increased risk of high alcohol consumption among students.

Conclusion

• Reflection: Consider what keeps you healthy and what detracts from your health.
• Encouragement: Study hard and care for your well-being.

References

• List of references for further reading on health concepts discussed in the lecture.