Tackling Pacific health issues through better nutrition

Tackling Pacific health issues through better nutrition

A group of passionate Pacific workers will soon be taking their messages of healthy eating to communities ranging from Northland to Waikato.

Thirty-one students are about to graduate from the Heart Foundation’s Certificate in Pacific Nutrition Course (CPN), which aims to reduce the high rates of heart disease among Pacific people in New Zealand.

Run by the foundation’s Pacific Heartbeat team, the CPN is a short course open to anyone working with Pacific communities.

“This 'train the trainer' nutrition course helps people working in Pacific communities to better train, advise and support others in making healthy food choices,” explains Mafi Funaki-Tahifote, Pacific Heartbeat operations manager and also a New Zealand-registered dietitian.

“We’re really excited to see another 31 people graduating from the CPN this year, as they can now go out into their communities equipped to make a real difference. Some of them are already putting their skills into practice.”

Mafi says heart disease is the biggest killer of New Zealanders, taking more than 6500 lives every “Compared to non-Pacific people, Pacific adults are 2.5 times more likely to be obese, 2.8 times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, and 1.4 times as likely to have high blood pressure.

“It’s vital that we share about good nutrition with our people because healthy eating is a core part of staying healthy and looking after our hearts,” Mafi says.

Media are invited to attend the CPN graduation ceremony this Friday December 11, from 10.30am - 12.30pm at Sorrento in the Park One Tree Hill Domain, Auckland.

Invited speakers include National Party MP Alfred Ngaro, who is of Cook Islands descent.

Graduates, who come from as far North as Whangaroa and as far South as Hamilton, will be joined The CPN is run in partnership with Auckland University of Technology. It is a Level 4 course delivered over nine days, and graduates are awarded the AUT University Short Course Certificate in Pacific communities.

During the course, students learn to teach general principles of nutrition and physical activity to their communities. They are also taught about buying and preparing healthy food, with an emphasis on typical Pacific foods.

The course also looks at the prevention of diseases for Pacific people, and nutrition issues relating to healthy eating for pregnant and breast-feeding Pacific women.

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