U.S. Associated Pacific Islands Health Care Teams Chart a Course for Improved Health Systems: Implementation and Evaluation of a Non-communicable Disease Collaborative Model.

The burden of non-communicable disease (NCD) is increasing in the U.S. Associated Pacific Islands (USAPI). We describe the implementation and evaluation of a NCD Collaborative pilot, using local trainers, as an evidence-based strategy to systematically strengthen NCD health care quality and outcomes, focusing on diabetes preventive care across five health systems in the region.

An assessment of non-communicable diseases, diabetes, and related risk factors in the Federated States of Micronesia, State of Chuuk: a systems perspective.

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) have been identified as a health emergency in the US-affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI).1 This assessment, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was conducted in the Federated States of Micronesia, State of Chuuk and describes the burdens due to selected NCDs (diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, chronic kidney disease); and assesses the system of service capacity and current activities for service delivery, data collection and reporting as well as identifying the issues that need to be addressed. There has been a 9.2% decline in the total population between 2000 and 2010. Findings of medical and health data reveal that diabetes, myocardial infarction, and septicemia are the leading causes of death and lower limb surgical procedures and amputations was a major problem that was addressed with a foot care education program to prevent amputations. No data were available on the prevalence of diabetes among the population of Chuuk. Other findings show significant gaps in the system of administrative, clinical, data, and support services to address these NCDs. There is a lack of policy and procedure manuals, coordination among providers, and common standards of care. There is no functional data system to identify and track patients with diabetes and other chronic diseases. Priority issues and problems were identified for the clinical, administrative, and data systems.

An assessment of non-communicable diseases, diabetes, and related risk factors in the Federated States of Micronesia, State of Kosrae: a systems perspective.

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) have been identified as a health emergency in the US-affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI). This assessment, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was conducted in the Federated States of Micronesia, State of Kosrae and describes the burdens due to NCDs, including diabetes, and assesses the system of service capacity and current activities for service delivery, data collection and reporting as well as identifying the issues that need to be addressed. There has been a 13.9% decline in the population between 2000 and 2010. Findings reveal that the risk factors of poor diet, lack of physical activity, and lifestyle behaviors lead to overweight and obesity and subsequent NCD that are a significant factor in the morbidity and mortality of the population. Leading causes of death were due to nutrition and metabolic diseases followed by diseases of the circulatory system. Data from selected community programs show that the prevalence of overweight and obese participants ranged between 82% and 95% and the rate of reported diabetes ranged from 13% to 14%. Other findings show significant gaps in the system of administrative, clinical, data, and support services to address these NCD. There is no functional data system that is able to identify, register, or track patients with diabetes. Priority administrative and clinical issues were identified that need to be addressed to begin to mitigate the burdens of NCDs among the residents of Kosrae State.

An assessment of non-communicable diseases, diabetes, and related risk factors in the Federated States of Micronesia, State of Yap: a systems perspective.

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) have been identified as a health emergency in the US-affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI).1 This assessment, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was conducted in the Federated States of Micronesia, State of Yap, and describes the burdens due to diabetes and other NCDs (heart disease, hypertension, stroke, chronic renal disease), and assesses the system of service capacity and current activities for service delivery, data collection and reporting as well as identifying the issues that need to be addressed. There has been a 1.2% increase in the population between 2000 and 2010; however, there was a significant increase in the 45-64 year old age group. Findings reveal that the risk factors of poor diet, lack of physical activity, and lifestyle behaviors lead to overweight and obesity and subsequent NCD that are a significant factor in the morbidity and mortality of the population. The leading causes of death include cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Local household surveys show that 63% to 80% of the adults and 20.5% to 33.8% of the children were overweight or obese. The surveys also showed that 23% of the adult population had diabetes and 35% were hypertensive. Other findings show significant gaps in the system of administrative, clinical, data, and support services to address these NCD. There is a policy and procedure manual that guides the NCD staff. There is no functional data system that is able to identify, register, or track patients with diabetes and other NCDs. Priority administrative and clinical issues were identified.

An assessment of non-communicable diseases, diabetes, and related risk factors in the Federated States of Micronesia, State of Pohnpei: a systems perspective.

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) have been identified as a health emergency in the US-affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI).1 This assessment, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was conducted in the Federated States of Micronesia, State of Pohnpei and describes the burden due to selected NCD (diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, chronic kidney disease); and assesses the system of service capacity and current activities for service delivery, data collection and reporting as well as identifies the issues that need to be addressed. Findings reveal that the risk factors of poor diet, lack of physical activity, and lifestyle behaviors lead to overweight and obesity and subsequent NCD that are significant factors in the morbidity and mortality of the population. Leading causes of death were due to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and hypertension. Population survey data show that 32.1% of the adult population had diabetes with a higher rate among women (37.1%) when compared to men (26.4%). The data also showed that 73.1% of the adult population was overweight or obese. Other findings show significant gaps in the system of administrative, clinical, data, and support services to address these NCD. There is no overall planning document for the prevention and control of NCDs or diabetes. There is evidence of little communication among the medical and health care providers which leads to fragmentation of care and loss of continuity of care. Based on some of the findings, priority issues and problems that need to be addressed for the administrative and clinical systems are identified.

Chronic disease surveillance systems within the US Associated Pacific Island jurisdictions.

In recent years, illness and death due to chronic disease in the US Associated Pacific Islands (USAPI) jurisdictions have dramatically increased. Effective chronic disease surveillance can help monitor disease trends, evaluate public policy, prioritize resource allocation, and guide program planning, evaluation, and research. Although chronic disease surveillance is being conducted in the USAPI, no recently published capacity assessments for chronic disease surveillance are available. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of existing USAPI chronic disease data sources and identify jurisdictional capacity for chronic disease surveillance. The assessment included a chronic disease data source inventory, literature review, and review of surveillance documentation available from the web or through individual jurisdictions. We used the World Health Organization's Health Metric Network Framework to assess data source quality and to identify jurisdictional capacity. Results showed that USAPI data sources are generally aligned with widely accepted chronic disease surveillance indicators and use standardized data collection methodology to measure chronic disease behavioral risks, preventive practices, illness, and death. However, all jurisdictions need to strengthen chronic disease surveillance through continued assessment and expanded support for valid and reliable data collection, analysis and reporting, dissemination, and integration among population-based and institution-based data sources. For sustained improvement, we recommend investment and technical assistance in support of a chronic disease surveillance system that integrates population-based and institution-based data sources. An integrated strategy that bridges and links USAPI data sources can support evidence-based policy and population health interventions.

Pacific issues of biodiversity, health and nutrition.

Neglect of traditional food systems has led to serious nutrition and health problems throughout the Pacific Islands. At the same time, there is concern about the loss of traditional knowledge, customs and culture related to local foods, and of biodiversity. However, there is still a great diversity of nutrient-rich local food crops in the Pacific, along with considerable knowledge about these foods, their methods of production, harvesting, storage, and preparation. An integrated approach is needed in order to make a meaningful impact on increased production, marketing/processing and use of local food crops and foods for better health and nutrition, requiring greater collaboration between the health sector and agencies in other sectors. Priorities for action include: documentation and assessment of traditional food systems, including analysis of local foods and crop varieties for their nutrient content; innovative means of increasing awareness of the values of local foods among the general public and policy makers; conservation of rare varieties of crops and food trees and protection of the environment; and an increased focus on small-scale processing and marketing of local foods. Overriding all of this is the urgent need to mainstream consideration of these important issues into relevant national and regional policies. The rubric "Biodiversity for Health and Nutrition" incorporates all of these issues and provides a framework within which all partner agencies can be involved.