Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Polynesia”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,423 records · Page 79Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Age and infertility in a micronesian atoll population.

The relationship between female age and infertility is examined using a single-island Micronesian population case. Demographic data, derived primarily from reproductive history interviews, show that a significant age-associated decline in marital reproductive performance is absent before women reach their late thirties in this population but a substantial decline is present once women reach their forties. Ethnographic data support the demographic inference that couples are maintaining relatively high levels of conjugal coital activity with both advancing female age and increasing marital duration. Thus coital activity levels appear to be an important factor in the maintenance of fertility in this group before the mid-thirties but decreases in fecundability after this age are due primarily to reductions in fecundity, not to declines in coital activity. The description of the Butaritari case lends support to Underwood's (1990) suggestion that a "Micronesian pattern" of reproductive performance may exist for the region's atoll-based populations and underscores the promise of further investigations of these special cases in the fields of demography and reproductive ecology.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Ethnicity and child dental health status in the Manawatu-Wanganui Area Health Board.

Dental caries data on 3,283 5-year-old children, taken at the completion of their first treatment in the School Dental Service as new school entrants, showed that non-Maori children were three times more likely than Maori children to have no experience of caries. Maori children were three times more likely to have high (five or more missing or filled teeth) caries experience than non-Maori children. Caries experience in Pacific Island children lay between the Maori and non-Maori children. Maori children were almost three times more likely to have had general anaesthesia for dental treatment than were non-Maori. From records of 3,329 Form II (aged 12 or 13) children taken at the conclusion of their last treatment in the School Dental Service, non-Maori children were found to be twice as likely than Maori to have had no experience of caries. Maori children were over twice as likely to have had high (five or more missing or filled permanent teeth) caries experience than non-Maori. It is unlikely that the dental health outcome differences between Maori and non-Maori children will be reduced by the current dental health care system unless dental health promotion becomes more effective and culturally appropriate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Obstetrics and the general surgeon.

From a small Pacific island country of Tuvalu, an analysis of 132 obstetric and gynecologic patients operated upon by one general surgeon during a 20.5 month period from 1988 to 1989 was performed. The operations comprised 50 percent of all surgical procedures and were associated with complicated pregnancy and delivery in 48 percent of the patients, birth control and infertility in 34 percent and gynecologic neoplasms, infections and bleeding ex utero in 18 percent. There was no mortality and 11 patients had lesser complications. Of the 38 cesarean sections, 76 percent were emergency operations. The main indications for cesarean section were dystocia in 55 percent of the patients and previous cesarean section in 24 percent. There was no maternal mortality. The complication rate was 13 percent and included two neonatal deaths. The cesarean birth rate during the study period was 7.6 percent, a nearly fivefold increase from the previous 9.5 years. With other factors remaining unchanged, the increase in cesarean birth rate corresponded to a decrease in neonatal death rate from 35.7 to 15.7 per 1,000 live-born infants. It is concluded that a considerable share of work of a general surgeon in developing countries consists of obstetric and gynecologic procedures. This should be taken into consideration when training and recruiting surgeons for that kind of work. A general surgeon with obstetric experience can perform cesarean section with an acceptable morbidity rate and should not hesitate to do it whenever labor does not progress as expected. The decision to operate can be based on physical examination with close cooperation with the midwife. In developing countries, increasing cesarean birth rates alone seem to reduce considerably the neonatal death rates.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Single doses of ivermectin 400 micrograms/kg-1: the most effective dosage in bancroftian filariasis.

Forty-three Wuchereria bancrofti carriers were given four successive semi-annual single doses of ivermectin 100 micrograms.kg-1 (IVER 100). The geometric mean microfilaremia (mf) recurrence percentage as compared to the pre-initial treatment mf level was 35%, 21%, 17% and 17% at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months, respectively. However, the recurrence of mf 6 months after the fourth treatment remained high in several individuals: 15 have been considered as 'bad responders' and 28 as 'good responders' individuals. At month 24 (M 24), they were randomly allocated into 2 groups. A first group was treated with a fifty and a sixth dose of IVER 100, at M24 and M30, respectively; the second one was treated, at the same time, with single doses of IVER 400 micrograms.kg-1 (IVER 400). At M 36, the mf recurrence percentage (mf M36/mf M0) was significantly higher in patients treated with IVER 100 than IVER 400 (11% vs 1%, p < 10(-4). From the group IVER 100, 6 out of the 8 'bad responders' remained 'bad responders' whereas there were none of the 7 in the group IVER 400. Moreover, there were only 2 more patients in the group IVER 100 showing sustained complete zero mf, whereas they were 13 in the group IVER 400. Single doses of IVER 400 were effective on 'bad responders'; IVER 400 must be recommended for semi-annual mass treatment in bancroftian filariasis.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Naught for your comfort.

A review of 51 children enrolled consecutively under the Dental Benefit Scheme in a private practice has shown that some children would have benefited from having bitewing radiographs at a much earlier age. Differences in dental development between girls and boys, and between children of European and Polynesian background mean that children vary greatly in the dental age when the first bitewing radiograph is taken, generally at enrollment in the General Dental Benefit Scheme. The decline in dental caries has made diagnosis and treatment planning more demanding, and this has exposed the deficiencies of the public programmes.

Child↗
PubMed1996

Do Polynesians still believe that big is beautiful? Comparison of body size perceptions and preferences of Cook Islands, Maori and Australians.

AIMS: To examine body size perceptions in a group of Polynesians from the Cook Islands and compare these with perceptions of Australians of European decent. METHODS: Residents of Tutakimoa village on the island of Rarotonga, Cook Islands completed a questionnaire on body size perception (83 females, 49 males, 80% response rate). The responses were compared with the same number of Australian subjects who were matched for sex, age and body mass index (BMI). Culturally appropriate, graded sets of photographs (one female and one male for each ethnic group) were used as the stimuli for questions on body perception. RESULTS: Cook Islands women were the most accurate in their perception of their current size; other groups overestimated. All groups preferred to be smaller, particularly women, with similar preferences (BMI 23-24) in women of both ethnic groups. Cook Islands subjects chose larger ideal sizes than Australians for both females (BMI 24.4 vs 22.5) and males (BMI 27 vs 24.2). CONCLUSIONS: The traditional Polynesian concepts of very large body sizes being considered healthy and attractive are not evident in the modern day Cook Islanders. The excessive pursuit of western fashions for small female body size may have longer term detrimental effects in Polynesian women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Caries prevalence in 12-year-old schoolchildren in New Caledonia.

This study reports on the most recent epidemiological survey undertaken in New Caledonia, a French dependency in the South Pacific. Three hundred and twenty-five 12-year-old children were selected from schools using the World Health Organization pathfinder sampling methodology. The results showed a DMFT of 4.09. This places New Caledonia in the 'moderate' category on the World Health Organization scale of caries severity for 12-year-old children. Two oral health risk groups were identified: Melanesian and Wallisian children. Different approaches to promoting oral health in New Caledonia, taking into account local socio-cultural traditions, are proposed.

Child↗
PubMed1996

A pilot diabetes awareness and exercise programme in a multiethnic workforce.

AIMS: To evaluate the acceptability and impact of a pilot diabetes awareness and exercise programme in a mainly Polynesian workforce. METHOD: Comparison of change in questionnaire and anthropometric measurements in two hospital ancillary workforces. One group (n = 108) received one community diabetes educator presentation, one video presentation and a 4 month exercise programme. The other group (n = 99) served as controls. RESULTS: Baseline diabetes knowledge was poor (total score 26 (SD 13%)) and subjects were largely unfit with a high body mass index (31.5 (7.1) kg/m2). The exercise sessions were well attended, although attendance declined over the 4 months. Increased diabetes knowledge was retained in the intervention group after 6 months when compared with controls (total score 35(14)% vs 26(12)% respectively, p < 0.001). One month after the termination of the programme, the proportion reporting regular exercise activity (at least 30 minutes for 3 days per week) had increased by 2% in the intervention group but declined by 9% in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes knowledge and exercise can be increased in unfit subjects by the combination of culturally tailored exercise techniques and community diabetes educator/video presentations.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Body composition differences between Polynesians and Caucasians assessed by bioelectrical impedance.

OBJECTIVE: To assess differences in body composition between Polynesians and Caucasians subjects. SUBJECTS: 48 male and 80 female Polynesians from a village in Rarotonga, Cook islands (81% response rate) and representative sample of 243 male and 250 female Caucasians from Melbourne, Australia. MEASUREMENTS: Body mass index, resistance from bioelectrical impedance, percent body fat derived from 4 equations using resistance, weight, height, age and sex. RESULTS: Male and female Polynesians were younger (by 7.7 years, P < 0.001 and 4.1 years, P < 0.05) and heavier (by 10.7 kg and 12.5 kg, P < 0.0001) than their Caucasian counterparts. Electrical resistance was significantly lower in Polynesians of both sexes by over 130 omega (P < 0.0001). At every level of weight (adjusted for height and age), resistance was lower in the Polynesians (P < 0.0001) and at every level of body mass index, the predicted body fat from 4 different equations was lower in Polynesians (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that, at any given body size. Polynesians are significantly leaner than Caucasians and that specific Polynesian standards for defining obesity need to be developed. The findings will need to be confirmed by other reference methods for measuring body composition.

Adipose Tissue↗