Healthy Families Ōtautahi (HFŌ) is embarking on a local study to tackle key health issues in the Pasifika community.

Through the ‘Pasifika Youth Thriving Through Movement’ project, co-led by HFŌ Manager, Geni Ah Tong and Moana Pasifika Systems Innovator, Chris John, aims to enhance physical activity among Pasifika youth and their families by understanding their engagement, identifying barriers and leveraging community strengths to provide culturally relevant support in combating non-communicable diseases.

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Currently, most statistics are based heavily on research gathered from the North Island and HFŌ intends to bring a localised lens to the project.

In collaboration with Pegasus Health (Esala Vakamacawai, Pacific Health Manager), Sport Canterbury (Grace Ward, Rangatahi Lead) and the University of Otago (Dr Allamanda Faatoese, Assistant Research Fellow), HFŌ is conducting this research to uncover the reasons behind Pasifika secondary school students' high satisfaction with physical activities like sports and cultural dances, and why their enthusiasm diminishes as they grow older. By pinpointing the causes of this decline, Healthy Families Ōtautahi aims to create strategies that encourage lifelong physical activity, ultimately enhancing overall health and wellbeing.

“Last year, HFŌ led and facilitated a series of workshops with our key sector partners to identify the systemic challenges facing our Pasifika youth to be physically active,” says Ah Tong.

“From there, we co-created a briefing plan for the project and used the six conditions of systems change and the iceberg model to identify root causes of inactivity during and post schooling - reimagining the future to enhance long-term health and wellbeing benefits.”

Healthy Families Ōtautahi has enlisted a dedicated researcher from the University of Otago to lead the study. To gather participants for talanoa sessions, the team will utilise existing relationships with community organisations and youth groups.

These sessions will offer a culturally safe space for open and honest discussions, enabling researchers to gather valuable data and perspectives from the community.

“Pasifika Youth Thriving Through Movement focuses on influencing and advocating for supportive policies, promoting culturally relevant practices, securing necessary resources, building strong relationships, empowering community members and shifting mental models towards sustained healthy behaviours,” Ah Tong adds.

“By tackling these health issues, the initiative aims to foster an environment encouraging positive attitudes towards physical activity, ultimately leading to long-term health benefits.

“The potential impact of this initiative is for Pasifika youth to thrive through movement and for organisations to engage with rangatahi and their families to provide a platform where they are empowered to join in a way that culturally resonates best with them.”

Stay tuned for more updates on this important project.

Article added: Monday 17 March 2025