Archives JIVSW Volume 1 Issue 2, December 2010
Global Transitions: Implications for a Regional Social Work Agenda
Mason Durie
Professor Sir Mason Durie’s keynote address at the 20th Annual Asia Pacific Social Work Conference “Many voices, many communities, social justice for all”.
Auckland, New Zealand, November 2009
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Developing Tautai Laveaʻi, a Breast Cancer Patient Nativation Program in American Samoa
Lana Sue I. Kaʻopua, Jennifer F. Tofaeono, Soon H. Park, Luana M.Y. Scanlan, Margaret E. Ward, Victor Tofaeono, & Salilo Julia Foifua
This article focuses on development of the psychosocial-cultural components of a breast cancer patient navigation program (PNP) in the medically underserved, albeit culturally-rich Territory of American Samoa. Efforts to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality in American Samoa must necessarily consider the territory’s limited cancer resources and indigenous culture, as well as the individuals at risk for poor health outcomes and premature death. Within this complex set of challenges resides the prospect of health equity and opportunities for advancing service innovations that meaningfully plait native ways of knowing with Western evidencebased practice. Increasing adherence to diagnostic and treatment procedures is of significant concern to the American Samoa Cancer Community Network who initiated this inquiry to assess patients lost to follow-up, describe treatment-seeking influences, and identify cultural preferences for inclusion in a PNP tailored on fa‘aSamoa or the Samoan worldview.
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‘This Tobacco Has Always Been Here for Us,’ American Indian Views of Smoking: Risk and Protective Factors
Sandra L. Momper, Mary Kate Dennis, & Beth Glover Reed
We utilized eight talking circles to elicit American Indian views of smoking on a U.S. reservation. We report on (1) the historical context of tobacco use among Ojibwe Indians; (2) risk factors that facilitate use: peer/parental smoking, acceptability/availability of cigarettes; (3) cessation efforts/ inhibiting factors for cessation: smoking while pregnant, smoking to reduce stress , beliefs that cessation leads to debilitating withdrawals; and (4) protective factors that inhibit smoking initiation/use: negative health effects of smoking, parental and familial smoking behaviors, encouragement from youth to quit smoking, positive health benefits, “cold turkey” quitting, prohibition of smoking in tribal buildings/homes. Smoking is prevalent, but protective behaviors are evident and can assist in designing culturally sensitive prevention, intervention and cessation programs.
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Native Hawaiian Male Caregivers: Patterns of Service Use and Their Effects on Public Policies
Wesley Lum, Seiko Sato, & Pamela Arnsberger
The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast the effects of caregiving for Native Hawaiian males, as compared to Asian and Caucasian males, and to determine how these differences affect service use patterns and opinions on government policies. Using a survey instrument adapted from a national data collection effort, data were collected from a probability sample of 600 caregivers in Hawai‘i, of which 155 were male. Analysis was limited to the 148 male caregivers with ethnicity data: Native Hawaiians (N=36), Caucasians (N=50), and Asians (N=62). Findings indicate that of the three groups studied, Native Hawaiians were the least burdened by caregiving. They were most likely to use training services and transportation, but did not generally use formal services because services were either unavailable or cost too much. Native Hawaiians were also most likely to express the need for overnight respite, tax relief, and paid family leave. The findings highlight the importance of gender and culture in the way caregiving services and policies are offered.
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Indigenizing Evaluation Research: A Long-Awaited Paradigm Shift
Paula T. Morelli & Peter J. Mataira
Developed in partnership with two ‘aina-based (life-sustaining, land-based) programs on the island of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, the strengths-enhancing evaluation research (SEER) model establishes base-line assumptions from which evaluation processes and products may be customized to report indigenous and culturallybased program strengths, effectiveness, and to discover formative needs. SEER is a research philosophy and practice that honors and respects indigenous, culturally based practices and ways of knowing. When engaged in a sincere, respectful manner, SEER partnerships may set in motion long-lasting, community-researcher relationships that can influence the reciprocal wellbeing of people and ‘aina. This article describes the authors’ behaviors and practices that allowed for guesthood and partnership with indigenous, culturally based programs, and led to the recognition of guiding principles in evaluation research.
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