Using Talanoa to Explore Pacific Participants Experiences of Education Sessions Provided in Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) in Counties Manukau Health (CMH)

Abstract

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a multidisciplinary comprehensive programme for people with chronic lung diseases that focuses on exercise and education to guide the self-management of the symptoms that come with chronic lung conditions. While extensive research into the benefits of the physical component of PR has proven its effectiveness, there is only limited literature on the education component. However, considering that New Zealand's Healthcare system has a long history of conceptualising health programmes from a Western point of view, thereby often alienating those from different cultural backgrounds, a closer look at how the PR education component is run seems relevant.

One of the largest non-Western communities in New Zealand are Pacific people. This group is disproportionately affected by social determinants of health and are more likely not to engage with chronic health education programmes. This thesis utilises Talanoa and other Pacific concepts to gain a deeper understanding of Pacific participants experiences of PR at Counties Manukau Health (CMH), the area with the highest Pacific population in New Zealand. The PR sessions, which consist of one hour of exercise and 30 minutes of group education using a predominantly Western-focused approach to deliver the group sessions held by clinicians, on various respiratory health and wellbeing topics.

Based on the data collected for this study, this study identifies ‘Pacific learner’ attributes and the barriers and facilitators of Pacific learners being able to engage and access PR education sessions. The study also features participants' feedback on the topics covered. Overall, the findings suggest that the Pacific values and concepts such as ‘Teu Le Va’ and the fonofale model are essential approaches to collaborating with Pacific learners and delivering education that will address their health needs from a holistic perspective, in addition to providing learning materials and tools that facilitate their learning best.