Your Choices...Your Health"Ngati and Healthy" changing the lives of East Coast Māori
25 October 2007
 Five years ago, health officials on the East Coast sat down to discuss ways to battle the epidemic of type 2 diabetes sweeping their region. Today, as a result of that discussion, thousands of people in remote East Coast communities are taking the battle against the lifestyle disease into their own hands.
Education and ongoing support
Not long before, in 2001, the Primary Health Care Strategy had been unveiled, taking New Zealand’s health system in a new direction. Central to the strategy was that health care should not be about treating illness, only. The changes in the health system show people how to improve their own health, support them in staying healthy, offer help to those with ongoing problems and do it in a way appropriate to each individual community.
The challenge
Terry Ehau, research/projects manager with Ngati Porou Hauora, says in 2001 East Coast Māori challenged the healthcare provider to do something to stop the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes amongst their people. The response was the Ngati and Healthy prevent diabetes project.
Survey results before the project started were alarming. Of the 247 Māori randomly surveyed, more than 50 percent were either at risk of developing diabetes or already had it.
Getting people involved
A critical part of Ngati and Healthy was the involvement of the people themselves. The project was developed from the bottom up to ensure the people “owned” the programme and would keep the momentum going.
We went to our people,” said Mr Ehau, “and asked ‘what do you think? What sort of programme do you want to prevent type 2 diabetes in the population?’ In that way, right from the start, the project was for the community, by the community.”
Local champions – people with a passion for reducing type 2 diabetes – were trained to deliver the programme.
“We supplied infrastructure support, like the hire of a hall, and clinical support, but everything else was done by the community,” said Mr Ehau.
What's involved
For two years, the project has targeted everyone in the rural Māori communities on the East Coast, and particularly, individuals identified as high risk. It is made up of regular monitoring of blood pressure, weight and waist measurements, the use of traditional and natural kai, nutrition information, exercise programmes, guest speakers and whanau support.
Changes encouraged include having breakfast, changing preparation methods of 'boil up' to reduce the fat and increasing vegetables, increasing water consumption and reducing soft drinks.
Shopkeepers have been encouraged to stock healthier foods such as wholegrain bread and exercises unique to the East Coast have also been fostered such as gathering food from the sea and bush.
“We keep going back to our people to make sure what they are getting in terms of diabetes awareness and prevention is still what they want. We have what we call an “organic” approach – that is, if the people we serve want something done a different way, it is achieved quickly and without fuss, without having to go to a board meeting to get it cleared”, said Mr Ehau.
Recognition
Last year the Ngati and Healthy programme was a finalist in the Health Innovation Awards, and it took out the Supreme Award at the 2006 Whanau Ora awards. The judges said the programme epitomised “the concepts of sharing of knowledge and skills to benefit both the Māori and wider communities”.
“What we have done here with Ngati and Healthy,” said Terry Ehau, “using the community to look after its own health, could be done anywhere in New Zealand to fight a whole range of lifestyle diseases.”
The findings of a second Otago University survey – to find out what two years of intervention has achieved – should be released before the end of 2007.
Mr Ehau said Ngati and Healthy reflects the Primary Health Care Strategy’s encouragement of innovative projects. “We share the vision of the PHCS and its values. The fact the PHCS exists means programmes like Ngati and Healthy flourish”, he said.
Related linksMāori Health
Diabetes in New Zealand
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Page last updated: 7 November 2007 |
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