An assessment of the Pacific Regional Cancer Coalition: outcomes and implications of a regional coalition internal and external assessment.

SIGNIFICANCE: The Pacific Regional Cancer Coalition (PRCC) provides regional leadership in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) to implement the Regional Comprehensive Control Plan: 2007-2012, and to evaluate its coalition and partnerships. The Pacific Center of Excellence in the Elimination of Disparities (CEED), aims to reduce cancer disparities and conducts evaluation activities relevant to cancer prevention and control in the USAPI. PURPOSE: The PRCC Self (internal) and Partner (external) Assessments were conducted to assess coalition functioning, regional and national partnerships, sustainability, and the role of regionalism for integrating all chronic disease prevention and control in the Pacific. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires and key informant telephone interviews with PRCC members (N=20), and representatives from regional and national partner organizations were administered (N=26). Validated multi item measures using 5-point scales on coalition and partnership characteristics were used. Chronbach's alphas and averages for the measures were computed. RESULTS: Internal coalition measures: satisfaction (4.2, SD=0.48) communication (4.0, SD=0.56), respect (4.0, SD=0.60) were rated more highly than external partnership measures: resource sharing (3.5, SD=0.74), regionalism (3.9, SD=0.47), use of findings (3.9, SD=0.50). The PRCC specifically identified its level of "collaboration" with external partners including Pacific CEED. External partners identified its partnership with the PRCC in the "coalition" stage. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS: PRCC members and external partners are satisfied with their partnerships. All groups should continue to focus on building collaboration with partners to reflect a truly regional approach to sustain the commitment, the coalitions and the programming to reduce cancer in the USAPI. PRCC and partners should also work together to integrate all chronic disease prevention and control efforts in the Pacific.

Schools for health, education and development: a call for action.

In 2007, the World Health Organization, together with United Nations and international organization as well as experts, met to draw upon existing evidence and practical experience from regions, countries and individual schools in promoting health through schools. The goal of the meeting was to identify current and emerging global factors affecting schools, and to help them respond more effectively to health, education and development opportunities. At the meeting, a Statement was developed describing effective approaches and strategies that can be adopted by schools to promote health, education and development. Five key challenges were identified. These described the need to continue building evidence and capturing practical experience in school health; the importance of improving implementation processes to ensure optimal transfer of evidence into practice; the need to alleviating social and economic disadvantage in access to and successful completion of school education; the opportunity to harness media influences for positive benefit, and the continuing challenge to improve partnerships among different sectors and organizations. The participants also identified a range of actions needed to respond to these challenges, highlighting the need for action by local school communities, governments and international organizations to invest in quality education, and to increase participation of children and young people in school education. This paper describes the rationale for and process of the meeting and the development of the Statement and outlines some of the most immediate efforts made to implement the actions identified in the Statement. It also suggests further joint actions required for the implementation of the Statement.

Working together: health promoting schools and school nurses.

The health of children and adolescents pose multiple challenges for health professionals in these times of rapid socioeconomic, political, cultural, epidemiological and health system changes. The health promoting schools approach and accompanying national models, regional and global initiatives, provide a mechanism for integrating health promotion and core nursing functions into schools and communities, while preventing premature morbidity and mortality from chronic and debilitating conditions. Nurses, in collaboration with educators, other health professionals, students, parents, councils and community members, are core and instrumental means to generate and support change in school settings, aimed at creating environments supportive to health.

Attitudes of Pacific parents to circumcision of boys.

BACKGROUND: Circumcision for cultural reasons is routine in Pacific Island countries. In New Zealand routine circumcision for which there is no medical indication is uncommon and no longer publicly funded within the public hospital system. This has caused difficulties for the Pacific people of New Zealand. AIM: This study documents the differences in the attitudes of Pacific parents and their male children to cultural circumcision, and assesses the strength of their beliefs. METHODOLOGY: Pacific boys between the ages of 8-18 and their parents resident in Christchurch were given a questionnaire to complete and then were interviewed. The participants were obtained mainly through church organisations and after broadcast on Pacifica radio. RESULTS: One hundred and sixteen of the 123 participants felt that they had strong ties to the Pacific community. The majority (89%) of the Pacific people felt that circumcision should be performed mainly for reasons of culture and hygiene. Only a small number were aware of the possible complications that might occur with circumcision. The average age that most Pacific people were circumcised and would want their children to be circumcised is between 6 and 10 years of age. Boys were less sure than their fathers that they would get their own sons circumcised. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that circumcision is expected and surprisingly well accepted by the boys of Pacific families despite the discomfort they know the procedure causes. There is a strong cultural demand from parents for circumcision. Guidance from church leaders or sexual health lessons at schools or elsewhere may alter the cultural importance of circumcision for Pacific Island people. However, the preference for circumcision is so well entrenched into their cultural beliefs and may take years to influence.