Community health programmes can be one of the most important and most available forms of education for the total community. This article outlines health programmes and health education initiatives, as well as approaches to participatory training, in several South Pacific countries.
PIP: In pre-colonial times, health in some Pacific countries was good compared with that of Europe. Illnesses such as scrofula, rheumatism, and filariasis often received herbal treatment. More recently, however, traditional diet throughout the region have been replaced by canned fish, biscuit, white flour products, and sugar-laden food. New illnesses and diseases have emerged in Pacific countries since European intrusion. Though malaria is still the primary cause of death in Vanuatu, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and coronary heart disease are prime health concerns in most Pacific countries. In Kiribati, health educators use materials in discussion groups and schoolteachers use special materials on AIDS in their teaching, Calendars are produced in cooperation with national nutrition and family planning (FP) groups and agencies that highlight health topics such as AIDS and vitamin-A deficiency. Material produced by the Vanuatu health education unit features nutrition, the environment, FP, and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The government's Women's Affairs Department the International Labor Organization and other agencies are involved in FP and family life education. In Fiji and the Solomon Islands, nutrition has been highlighted in health education campaigns. In both countries surveys indicated alarming levels of diet-related disease. Another important nutrition project in the Solomon Islands is the village education program. At a training center, trainers conduct 15 practical courses for mobile workers, community workers, and village resource persons. Under this program, 60 village-level workshops are held each year focusing on nutrition, cooking, and gardening. Nutrition is now a major focus of health in the Pacific. The health, nutrition, education, fisheries, and agricultural sectors work with other agencies for success through community participation and through an integrated approach.