- : Co-designing a theory of change for preventing violence against women in Samoa.

Despite the widespread adoption of Theories of Change (ToC) for programme evaluation, the process of collaboratively developing these theories is rarely outlined or critical analysed, limiting broader methodological discussions on co-production. We developed a ToC as part of ('Love Shouldn't Hurt') - a participatory peer-research study to prevent violence against women (VAW) in Samoa. The ToC was developed in four phases: (1) semi-structured interviews with village representatives (n = 20); (2) peer-led semi-structured interviews with community members (n = 60), (3) community conversations with 10 villages (n = 217) to discuss causal mechanisms for preventing VAW, and (4) finalising the ToC pathways.

Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in Samoan women aged 18 to 29 and assessment of possible risk factors: a community-based study.

Background: Knowledge about genital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections in the Pacific is limited. In this study we investigated CT infection in Samoan women.

Methods: We recruited women having unprotected sex aged 18 to 29 years from 41 Samoan villages.

Care for the seafarers: a review of mental health in Austronesia.

Introduction: Continent-based regional reviews of mental health may not fully describe the status of ethnocultural groups that are widely dispersed across multiple continents or traditional world regions. Our aim was to describe the Austronesians, an ethno-linguistic group living primarily in islands and coastal areas in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and Southeast Asia.

Methods: Consulting lay databases, we created matrices to describe the demographic, political, and socioeconomic profiles of nations with majority and minority indigenous Austronesian language-speaking populations.

A qualitative investigation into key cultural factors that support abstinence or responsible drinking amongst some Pacific youth living in New Zealand.

Background: Abstinence and responsible drinking are not typically associated with youth drinking culture. Amongst Pacific youth in New Zealand there are high numbers, compared to the general New Zealand population, who choose not to consume alcohol. The Pacific youth population is made up of several ethnic groups; their ethno-cultural values are largely Polynesian and heavily influenced by the socio-economic realities of living in New Zealand.

Strengthening health research capacity from within Samoa.

This article reflects on the challenges of strengthening health research capacity from within Samoa. It examines the status of health research and related curricula in Samoa and discusses the outcomes of a new postgraduate applied social and health research methods course taught in Samoa for the first time from 5 January to 12 February 2010 by the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago in collaboration with the Centre for Samoan Studies, National University of Samoa. The article argues that collaborative health research courses such as this methods paper can fill a curriculum gap in New Zealand and Samoa and contribute directly toward strengthening Samoa health research capacity in ways that benefit both Samoa and New Zealand.

Towards quality Pacific services: the development of a service self-evaluation tool for Pacific addiction services in New Zealand.

Objectives: To describe the development and use of a quality improvement service self-evaluation tool within Pacific addiction services in New Zealand.

Methods: The study involved two phases: (i) a development phase; and (ii) a testing phase. In Phase I, a preliminary tool was developed and piloted with two Pacific addiction drugs services.

Exploring the 'cultural' in cultural competencies in Pacific mental health.

Cultural competency is about the ability of individuals and systems to respond respectfully and effectively to the cultural needs of peoples of all cultures. Its general attributes include knowledge, attitudes, skills and professional judgment. In Pacific mental health, 'the cultural' is generally understood to be ethnic culture.

Exploration of Pacific perspectives of Pacific models of mental health service delivery in New Zealand.

There is increasing concern about the inequalities, overall health outcomes, and mental health of Pacific peoples residing in New Zealand. The New Zealand Mental Health Survey (Te Rau Hinengaro), conducted in 2003/2004, identfied Pacific peoples as having a higher 12-month prevalence of mental disorders than the general population. The burden of mental health amongst Paqfic peoples was identified as high and associated with other socioeconomic correlates.

The substances and choices scale (SACS)--the development and testing of a new alcohol and other drug screening and outcome measurement instrument for young people.

Aims: To describe the development and evaluation of the Substances and Choices Scale (SACS), an adolescent alcohol and other drug (AOD) self-report instrument designed in a similar format to the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

Design: A literature review, extensive consultation and discriminant analysis on a pilot sample (n = 61) of adolescents informed the development of the SACS. The psychometric properties of the SACS were then tested in a larger community and clinical sample.

New Zealand Pacific peoples' drinking style: too much or nothing at all?

Aims: To describe the alcohol consumption patterns and related harms of some Pacific peoples (Samoan, Cook Islands Maori, Tongan, Niuean, Fijian, and Tokelauan) living in Aotearoa (New Zealand), and to draw comparisons with measures from the general New Zealand population.

Methods: The Pacific Drugs and Alcohol Consumption Survey (PDACS) was carried out with 1103 randomly selected Pacific peoples aged between 13 and 65 years old who were resident in households throughout New Zealand. The survey used computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) and computer assisted cell-phone interviewing (CACI).