This study presents findings on health-related hygiene behaviours of 9,013 adolescents from Vanuatu, Tonga and Pohnpei in the Federal States of Micronesia as part of the Health Behaviour of Pacific Youth Life surveys. We examined the prevalence of and relationship between tooth brushing, hand washing before eating, hand washing after toileting and a range of psychosocial factors such as sociodemographic charac-teristics, health behaviour and school affiliation. The results showed that patterns of prevalence and relationships were consistent for all countries, with weaker associations observed in Pohnpei. In general, adolescents reported moderate levels of optimal hygiene practice. Girls reported significantly more frequent optimal hygiene practice than boys. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that frequent hygiene behaviours were significantly associated with gender, parental occupations and high levels of school affiliation. These findings suggest the need to consider psycho-social and economic factors when examining potential influences on hygiene behaviour to ensure effective interventions.

The changing global socio-economic environment over the last two decades has had significant ramifications for the health and development of youth in lower- and middle-income countries. In the Pacific region, young people are exposed to similar causes of ill-health as their peers in developed countries. This paper describes the development, implementation and major findings of the Health Behaviour and Lifestyle of Pacific Youth (HBLPY) surveys, a regional initiative to obtain representative data about health-related behaviour and needs of adolescents in Vanuatu, Tonga and the Federated States of Micronesia. The Pacific HBLPY is modelled on the WHO Europe Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) surveys. The surveys, undertaken in 2000-2001, were built upon strong local partnerships and were undertaken with youth participation to ensure survey ownership. A regional technical group was formed to provide training and support to strengthen health survey capacity of youth and their agencies. The findings showed that tobacco was most commonly used substance, with 29.7% of 15-year-old boys and 15.7% of girls smoking weekly. Over half of the students did not engage in physical activity for at least 2 h per week; these rates are substantially lower than those usually found in Europe. Dietary habits among this group are also of concern, reflecting international trends away from highly nutritious traditional diets. The HBLPY surveys have shown that it is possible to collect population-based data in lower- and middle-income countries so that appropriate youth health programmes and policies can be developed. Implementation of an ongoing surveillance system similar to the HBLPY model in these countries warrants further investigation. Such initiatives should be supported at the regional and global level.

No abstract

A total of 443 school students aged 11-16 years underwent anthropometric measures of height and weight and provided self-reported measures of physical activity and dietary behaviours. Results Mean body mass index (BMI) was higher among girls than boys (23.7 kg m(-2) vs. 21.8 kg m(-2) and tended to increase with age. A total of 36.0% of boys and 53.8% of girls were overweight or obese using the international cut-off points, whereas 25.0% of boys and 37.6% of girls were classified in this way using Polynesian-specific cut-off points. Tinned mutton or beef was the food that most participants (56.9%) reported eating once or more per day. Over half of the young people did not eat taro, fruit or vegetables at least once per day. Regular physical activity outside of school hours was reported by 20.7% of respondents, and 58.2% watched 1 h or more of television per day. Physical activity participation was the only behaviour independently associated with a lower risk of overweight or obesity. Conclusions Using Polynesian-specific cut-off points for overweight and obesity the prevalence of these conditions was still among the highest found in adolescents. The prevalence of physical inactivity and poor dietary habits indicate that risk factors for chronic disease are well established during adolescence in Tonga.

A high percentage of young people not attending school in the Pacific island nations of Vanuatu, Tonga and the Federated States of Micronesia are at risk of unintended pregnancy and STIs, including HIV, because of patterns of sexual risk behaviour.