Poor Niuean health prompts call for new approach

Transcript

The dire and worsening health of Niueans in New Zealand has prompted a call for a rethink of health services for the 24-thousand strong community.

Niueans in New Zealand have the worst health among Pasifika peoples who themselves feature at the bottom end of national health statistics.

About 40 Niuean health professionals met in Auckland at the weekend to look at why and how to turn that around.  

Our Pacific Issues correspondent, Karen Mangnall, has more.

Niueans have the highest rate of diabetes and hospital admissions among all Pasifika groups.

A researcher at Auckland University, Vili Nosa, says Niuean men especially are dying early from heart and respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes and lung cancer.

VILI NOSA: Obesity, you know we've got gout, that's emerging now, that was never heard of many years ago - it was just an older person's disease. But now we are getting them younger, and teenagers, so too much eating, too much drinking and too much smoking.

Niueans are New Zealand citizens and have free access to healthcare and other services.

Anne Fitisemanu works for the Counties Manukau DHB and says the big question is why Niuean health is so much worse than that of other Pasifika communities and New Zealanders in general.

ANNE FITISEMANU: I'd like to think it should be different - the fact that we have had access to New Zealand for such a long time - why is it that our health is so poor? So there has got to be a connection between loss of culture, loss of language and identity.

Vili Nosa says low incomes also contribute to their poor health, along with the different diet and environment in New Zealand.

VILI NOSA: There's fast food takeaways easily available, it's cheaper, alcohol outlets are easily available, tobacco is cheap,  we are acculturated to the New Zealand culture, we have adapted a lot of their drinking styles, you know, our tobacco is increasing.

Vili Nosa says generic health education and programmes aimed at all Pasifika communities haven't worked for Niueans and something new is needed.

VILI NOSA: We have to look at what sort of interventions or models can actually suit us in ways that we can actually relate to. You know, developing a Niuan culturally-appropriate model or an intervention to reduce higher rates of alcohol, smoking or in obesity.

The Niue Health Group's secretary, Nuhi Williams, says it's time for Niuean health professionals to take the lead in identifying what their community thinks will lead to better health.

NUHI WILLIAMS: Being under the broad Pacific group hasn't worked for us and it is also in recognition that a lot of us need to come and work with our communities but more importantly our own families to ensure that they have better health outcomes.

Nuhi Williams says the biggest challenge will be Niueans themselves.
 

NUHI WILLIAMS: It's about changing the way that people think and view health - that's what the biggest challenge is and it is about Niueans recognising that we have a health issue and taking that seriously.

The Niue Health Group plans to hold community health education sessions and to set up an 0800-infoline just for Niueans to provide referrals to appropriate services.