PACIFIC ISA LND HEALTH ISSUES Pacific Island people have been immigrating to New Zealand since the 1950’s and have been suffering from health issues ever such as Coronary heart diseases and strokes, elevated blood pressure and cancer. Most of these illnesses are caused by the change in food and environment and in other cases are hereditary and are passed down from elder family members who got the diseases when they immigrated because of the change in food and environment. Coronary heart disease and strokes (CHD) are caused by a number of different things like cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, lack of exercise dieting and family history of coronary heart disease. Tobacco smoking shortens life and increases the risk of getting coronary heart disease. Stopping smoking is the single most effective way of reducing getting the disease, but in New Zealand over a 15 year period 34% of people were regular cigarette smokers. Prevalence of smoking among the Pacific Population needs to be reduced to help reduce factors of rates of coronary heart disease and strokes.
Food and nutrition are also factors contributing to poor health status of Pacific Island People. Obesity, diabetes and heart diseases are more common among Pacific Island People because of the dietary changes dew to limited resources and different types of food in New Zealand. Some social actions that New Zealanders can take to help Pacific Islanders reduce the chance of coronary heart disease or having a stroke is advertise on T. V what happens to your body when you have a heart disease or stroke, Make giving up smoking programmes more affordable and known in the community, Pamphlets, and exercise programmes that people enjoy going to and will go regularly. Elevated blood pressure is also known as Hypertension and is a risk factor for many including the one I just talked about, Coronary Heart Disease and Strokes. A study that was done in 1993 showed that compared to New Zealanders/Europeans Pacific Island People had a higher mean blood pressure levels and were less likely to be receiving treatment for high blood pressure and therefore were more likely to be at risk of the effects it has on our body.
Consuming too much alcohol and salt also contribute to. Other factor such as some of the ones that contribute to Coronary Heart Diseases and Strokes such as diet, obesity, low levels of physical activity (exercise), high blood lipid levels and stress are also important contributor. Social actions we could take to enable Pacific Island People to be aware of the risk they are taking by not treating elevated blood pressure and being obese by providing pamphlets at the local doctors surgery’s, advertise on T. V and radio stations and run classes on how to prevent high blood pressure and how to lower blood pressure. Cancer is a major cause of death and hospitalisation amongst Pacific Island People living in New Zealand. The amount of data collected from any site in New Zealand shows that Pacific Island People are highly variable.
People from the South Pacific are often referred to New Zealand for diagnosis and treatment. So the incidence of some cancer is likely to be affected by imported cases. Cancer of the stomach and liver are more common in Pacific Island People than New Zealanders but cancer of the large bowel is relatively uncommon. The magnitude of the difference in rates for these cancers means the difference is unlikely to be dew to imported cases. Cancer registrations in 1993 show that cancer for other sties for Pacific Island People is similar to the incidence nationally. Lung cancer followed by prostate cancer is the most common in Pacific Island males and breast cancer is the leading in Pacific Island woman and cancer of the cervix is next most common.
This is similar to the pattern of cancer of cancer seen in New Zealanders except prostate cancer is more common than lung cancer. Some social actions we can take to inform Pacific Island People on how to deter cancer are pamphlets in doctor’s surgery’s information on cigarette packets and again advertising on T. V and radios. In conclusion I think that Pacific Island People do need advised on health issues and New Zealanders could do a lot to make them feel conferrable trying new fitness programmes. As for cancer and Heart diseases they cannot be stopped all together but prevented and deterred with doctors help and healthier lifestyles could help Pacific Island People live longer happier Lifestyles.