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Substance abuse awareness among Fed. States of Micronesia high school leavers
– Reported, April 04, 2012
The Department of Health and Social Affairs (DoHSA) of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) contracted the College of Micronesia-FSM (COM-FSM) to undertake activities, in selected high schools of FSM. The activities aimed at enhancing interest and motivation among senior students to pursue studies and
eventually careers in the domain of health simultaneously were seized to enhance public health awareness among participating students.
The results of the activities at high school level can be summarized as follows: No. of high school seniors targeted: 1 374. No. of high school seniors attending the events: 1 009 (73.4%); No. of high school seniors undergoing health screening tests: 934 (92.6% of attendees); No. of volunteer high school facilitators
participating: 28; No. of health personnel engaged: 49 (41 nurses and 8 lab technicians); No. of personalities and students performing in the DVD production: 12; COM-FSM academic staff engaged: 8; COM-FSM support staff engaged: 2.Summaries of the health screening tests results (for: blood pressure; pulse rate; random glycemia, body mass index; blood typing, ABO and Rh) have been tabulated and returned, as feed-back, to the Principals of each school. An epidemiological analysis of those results is underway.
Program objectives: responding to FSM needs Background, rationale and justi? cation for Pre-Health events and activities
The rationale and needs assessment for the education and training of existing and prospective workforce in the domain of Public Health in Micronesia have been documented elsewhere (ref. Sitaleki A. Finau,Gregory J. Dever, Giuseppe G. Cuboni: A proposal for PIHOA: Community College Public Health training in
and for Micronesia 2007), a short abstract of which is hereby reproduced:
Twin Disparities in Health and Education – On World Health Day, 7 April 2006, WHO released its World Health Report Working Together for Health, in which the human resources issues included: health worker shortages (acute and chronic); under-training, disparities in the health worker skills mixes, mal-distribution,
and adverse working conditions and inappropriate work incentives.
In August 2006 the Paci? c Island Health Of? cers Association (PIHOA), which formally represents the Ministers, Secretaries, and Directors of Health of the US Associated Paci? c Islands (USAPI) met on Nahlap Island in Pohnpei State. They participated in a Human Resources for Health workshop with the assistance
of a WHO/WPRO Specialist. The outcome of this Workshop, titled Working Together for Health How can we help ourselves?, included a formal PIHOA resolution on issues related to human resources for health.
These resolutions mirrored the theme of the 2006 World Health Report and addressed the following:- PIHOA acknowledged that there was a regional shortage of students academically prepared to enter all levels of the health profession trainings and that many of the current health workforce were undertrained in their respective disciplines;
– PIHOA recognized that there was a shortage of quali? ed nurses in the region at all levels, and there was the need for ongoing training for clinical, public health, oral health, and psychiatric nurses;
– PIHOA observed that the primary and secondary school systems need strengthening in English, study skills, mathematics, and science and further observed there were too few educational career ladder and bridging training programs that provide in-country health workforce training;
– PIHOA pointed out that management training for the health workforce had been identi? ed as a priority need for nursing, public health, and health services administration;
– PIHOA recommended that the following critical issues related to human resource for be strengthened or developed: the educational pipeline to health professional training; career ladder and bridging training for the current health workforce; management training; overall health human resources planning; and
partnerships with local educational institutions for higher learning for delivery of the needed accredited curricula.
The FSM Department of Health and Social Affairs (DoHSA-FSM) determined that activities targeting high school leavers in FSM should be undertaken, in cooperation with health agencies and academic institutions, in order to make young generations aware of the acute manpower needs in FSM, and at the same time alert high school leavers that more educational opportunities in the domain of health are becoming available at COM-FSM.
Background, rationale and justi? cation for Substance Abuse Prevention events and activities The rationale for the proposed intervention cannot as yet be substantiated by up-to-date, accurate statistics or other epidemiological evidence, such as recent surveys and/ or specialized studies. However, existing
anecdotal evidence seems suf? cient to support the determination of DoH-FSM to set a preventative effort into motion, targeting substance abuse in FSM.
– Alcohol and other substance abuse is among the major causes of morbidity and mortality in FSM (Samo, M. FSM National Health Account Report, 2007);
– Tobacco, the most common substance, is used, in Vanuatu, Tonga and FSM, by 29.7% of surveyed males under 15; and is smoked weekly by 15.7% of surveyed women of that age (Paci?c Youth Survey on Health Behavior and Lifestyle, 2000-2001, University of Sydney);
– Adolescent Fijians, aged 13 15, having ever smoked cigarettes: 33%; and 10% had smoked during the 30 day period prior to survey. In the same cohort, 65% had had more than 5 drinks in a single session (de?ned as binge drinkers) in the 2-weeks period prior to survey
Furthermore, operational considerations made the choice of action at high school sites as a more resultsprone one. The existing literature on the subject, albeit not extensive, is not referenced here, in light of operational and time constraints.
Goals
– To enhance awareness of the FSM health manpower needs and career opportunities among high schoolleavers in FSM;
– To alert high school-leaving students of education and training possibilities becoming available at COMFSM.
– To enhance awareness of the health implications of substance abuse among high school leavers in FSM;
– To alert high school-leaving students of counseling and other preventative strategies for substance abuse, available at COM-FSM and other civil society institutions.
Speci?c Objectives
– To reach as many FSM high schools as feasible, in each FSM State (main islands);
– To establish face-to-face contact with at least 50% of the high school leavers in the schools reached during the main event;
– To promote awareness of FSM health-related matters and the hazards of substance abuse in the families of the students contacted;
– To enhance and stimulate high school leavers interests and motivation in health care professions and careers;
– To publicize the emerging educational opportunities in health at COM-FSM in the communities.
– To promote preventative strategies and healthy lifestyles among high school leavers;
– To publicize the existing counseling and information opportunities regarding substance abuse and related health matters in the communities, with reference to COM-FSM and other civil society organizations
The main event: a Pre-Health and Health Awareness: Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs afternoon at school,during which the following activities took place:
– Short introductory presentations were made: the main health problems in FSM; health workforce shortages; career possibilities; the main substance abuse problems in FSM; health impact of abuse;
main preventive strategies; education and training opportunities at COM-FSM;
– Audio-visual display of a COM-FSM production on the above themes, as DVD, attempted in several locations, but not always successful (equipment; daylight; other constraints).
– A short story about a most favored memory related to a health event or a health professional or a personal experience, of self, family or friends: a writing competition among students, for which prices were awarded;
– Skits by students, performed on site, at many schools;
– Educational material, including the COM-FSM produced DVD, about health and substance abuse awareness, was distributed to all senior students at the visited high schools;
Sample health actions, the medical actions, were offered to interested students, on a strict voluntary basis and prepared by an informed-consent form signed by parents/ guardians, free of charge; those were administered by local health professionals, and consisted of: blood pressure and
pulse rate measurement; glycemia determination; weight/ height and body mass computation; blood typing.
Motivation- and recollection – enhancing gifts were given to all students in attendance (T-shirts; DVD).
Educational and supportive materials: these were dispatched later to the schools administrations, based on their choices and the availability of requested items from suppliers.
Refreshments and closing (Pohnpei schools, for ease of supply).
A team of COM-FSM academics and support staff effected coordination of all aspects of the event, including:
Overall design, planning and tasks allocation;
Selection of target high schools, in each FSM State;
Coordinated inputs and contributions of the local facilitators;
Production of all audiovisuals and materials;
Procurement of all supplies and equipment needed, including references and/ or books/ publications;
Scheduling of each school event, avoiding potential interference with other activities in which the same high school leavers would be involved;
Travel arrangements of COM-FSM Palikir-based implementers;
Preparations and safety/ security arrangements for the medical actions;
Distribution and dispatch of all materials, supplies and equipment;
Financial controls, disbursements, acquittals and reporting;
Event evaluation and ? nal reporting;
Credits: Cuboni G and Samo M
More information at:
http://www.pacifichealthdialog.org.fj/volume16_no1/PreHealth%20talent%20search%20and%20substance.pdf
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