Research about eye health and eye health services in Pacific Island Countries and Territories: a scoping review.

Background: We aimed to summarise the extent and nature of published research about eye health and eye health services in Pacific Island Countries and Territories since 1980.

Methods: We searched Medline, EMBASE, Global Health and Cochrane Library to identify publications about eye health and eye health services in 22 Pacific Island Countries and Territories from 1 January 1980 to 26 January 2024. Study selection and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers independently.

Epidemiology of fatal and hospitalised injuries among youth in Fiji (TRIP 15).

Aim: To determine the burden and characteristics of fatal and hospitalised injuries among youth in Fiji.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the Fiji Injury Surveillance in Hospitals database - a prospective population-based trauma registry - to examine the incidence and epidemiological characteristics associated with injury-related deaths and hospital admissions among youth aged 15-24 years. The study base was Viti Levu, Fiji, during the 12-month period concluding on 30 September 2006.

Driving following Kava Use and Road Traffic Injuries: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in Fiji (TRIP 14).

Objective: To investigate the association between kava use and the risk of four-wheeled motor vehicle crashes in Fiji. Kava is a traditional beverage commonly consumed in many Pacific Island Countries. Herbal anxiolytics containing smaller doses of kava are more widely available.

Is driving under the influence of kava associated with motor vehicle crashes? A systematic review of the epidemiological literature.

Objective: Kava is marketed as a herbal anxiolytic in several countries and is consumed recreationally in high doses in many indigenous Pacific and Australian Aboriginal communities. We reviewed the published literature examining the association (if any) between kava use and motor vehicle crashes (MVCs), MVC-related injuries or driving performance.

Methods: Search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, AMED, Australian Medical Index, Australian Transport Index and trials registries and injury journals up to August 2014.

Driver sleepiness and risk of motor vehicle crash injuries: a population-based case control study in Fiji (TRIP 12).

Introduction: Published studies investigating the role of driver sleepiness in road crashes in low and middle-income countries have largely focused on heavy vehicles. We investigated the contribution of driver sleepiness to four-wheel motor vehicle crashes in Fiji, a middle-income Pacific Island country.

Method: The population-based case control study included 131 motor vehicles involved in crashes where at least one person died or was hospitalised (cases) and 752 motor vehicles identified in roadside surveys (controls).

Population-based characteristics of fatal and hospital admissions for poisoning in Fiji: TRIP Project-11.

This study investigated the incidence and characteristics of poisoning fatalities and hospital admissions among indigenous Fijians and Indians in Viti Levu, Fiji. Individuals with a mechanism of injury classified as poisoning were identified using the Fiji injury surveillance in hospitals system, a population-based registry established for 12 months in Viti Levu, and analysed using population-based denominators. The mean annual rates of fatalities and hospitalisations were 2.

Prevalence of sleepiness while driving four-wheel motor vehicles in Fiji: a population-based survey (TRIP 9).

Introduction: Sleepiness has been shown to be a risk factor for road crashes in high-income countries, but has received little attention in low- and middle-income countries. We examined the prevalence of sleepiness and sleep-related disorders among drivers of four-wheel motor vehicles in Fiji.

Method: Using a two-stage cluster sampling roadside survey conducted over 12 months, we recruited a representative sample of people driving four-wheel motor vehicles on the island of Viti Levu, Fiji.

A profile of injury in Fiji: findings from a population-based injury surveillance system (TRIP-10).

Background: Over 90% of injury deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries. However, the epidemiological profile of injuries in Pacific Islands has received little attention. We used a population-based-trauma registry to investigate the characteristics of all injuries in Viti Levu, Fiji.

Fatal and hospitalised childhood injuries in Fiji (TRIP Project-3).

Aim: Although childhood injury rates in low- and middle-income countries are known to be high, contemporary data on this topic from Pacific Island countries and territories are scant. We describe the epidemiology of childhood injuries resulting in death or hospital admission in Fiji using a population-based registry.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of the Fiji Injury Surveillance in Hospitals system investigated the characteristics associated with childhood injuries (<15 years) in Viti Levu, resulting in death or hospital admission (≥12 h) from October 2005 to September 2006.

The case for improving road safety in Pacific Islands: a population-based study from Fiji (TRIP 6).

Objective: To estimate the incidence and demographic characteristics associated with road traffic injuries (RTIs) resulting in deaths or hospital admission for 12 hours or more in Viti Levu, Fiji.

Methods: Analysis of the prospective population-based Fiji Injury Surveillance in Hospitals database (October 2005 - September 2006).

Results: Of the 374 RTI cases identified (17% of all injuries), 72% were males and one third were aged 15-29 years.

Hospitalised and fatal head injuries in Viti Levu, Fiji: findings from an island-wide trauma registry (TRIP 4).

Background: Globally, head injury is a substantial cause of mortality and morbidity. A disproportionately greater burden is borne by low- and middle-income countries. The incidence and characteristics of fatal and hospitalised head injuries in Fiji are unknown.

An accessible method for teaching doctors about death certification.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that data on mortality in its member countries are collected utilising the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death published in the instruction volume of the ICD-10. However, investment in health information processes necessary to promote the use of this certificate and improve mortality information is lacking in many countries. An appeal for support to make improvements has been launched through the Health Metrics Network's MOVE-IT strategy (Monitoring of Vital Events Information Technology) (WHO 2011).

Characteristics of fatal and hospital admissions for burns in Fiji: a population-based study (TRIP Project-2).

Background: Over 95% of burn deaths are estimated to occur in low-and-middle-income countries. However, the epidemiology of burn-related injuries in Pacific Island Countries is unclear. This study investigated the incidence and demographic characteristics associated with fatal and hospitalised burns in Fiji.

Risk factors for cholera in Pohnpei during an outbreak in 2000: lessons for Pacific countries and territories.

In April 2000, a large outbreak of cholera due to Vibrio cholerae serotype Ogawa biotype El Tor affected the Island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. A Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network team conducted a case control study in the middle of the epidemic. The aims of the study were to identify individual and household level risk factors for cholera, and to evaluate public health interventions aimed at controlling the outbreak.

Fijian participation in health research: analysis of Medline publications 1965-2002.

Unlabelled: The driving force of health research in the Pacific has been the expatriates. The common practice has been that health professionals from developed countries come and do research, without much involvement by local experts, take the data off shore to analyze and publish elsewhere, without benefiting the researched communities.

Objectives: this paper examines the participation of Fijians in health research publications on Fiji; identifies the most researched health areas; and discusses the implications for health priorities and research capacity development in Fiji.

Health transition among Pacificans: unpacking imperialism.

What and who defines health? In the Pacific at least, health is not only an individual's state of well-being. It also refers to the positive state of the social body i.e.