Introduction: Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors contribute to the significant rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), most notably cardiovascular disease (CVD), in the Pacific Island nations. The aim of thi...Introduction: Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors contribute to the significant rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), most notably cardiovascular disease (CVD), in the Pacific Island nations. The aim of this study is to review previously published articles to understand common modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors of CVD among Pacific countries. Methods: This systematic review is conducted using different databases including;Scopus, Medline, EMBASE, and psycINFO. This systematic review is based on the Cochrane review process. All articles published in the English language from 1<sup>st</sup> January 2000 to 1<sup>st</sup> September 2016, will be included in the study. After reviewing all of the articles’ titles, abstracts, and full text, the final articles were reviewed and the relevant data was included in the data extraction sheet. A descriptive analysis was conducted to measure the common risk factors of CVD in Pacific countries. Results: Overall, 45 articles met the inclusion criteria of the study. The results showed that age was the most common non-modifiable risk factor while diabetes, high blood lipid, and high blood pressure were the most common modifiable risk factors of CVD. There were only three interventional studies which had all of the significant influences in reducing the risk factors of CVD when the results were compared with the control group. Conclusion: While it is not possible to change the non-modifiable risk factors for CVD, we encourage policy makers to use the results of this study to develop health promotion strategies to address the modifiable risk factors for CVD. Interventional strategies are highly recommended in the Pacific countries to tackle the modifiable risk factors for CVD.展开更多
Introduction: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is known as the biggest public health challenge in both developed and developing countries. This systematic review study is carried out to assess the prevalence, de...Introduction: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is known as the biggest public health challenge in both developed and developing countries. This systematic review study is carried out to assess the prevalence, determinants, and risk factors of HIV/AIDS in Pacific countries. Methods: This systematic review study applied Cochrane Library Guideline to search, review, apprise, and analyze the articles related to HIV/AIDS. Both qualitative and quantitative articles were published between 2000 to 2016, in English language and were published in databases such as MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, EBSCO, ProQuest, Springer and PyschInfo. A data extraction sheet was made and a descriptive statistic was applied to analyze the data. Results: Fifty-one studies met the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. The United States had the highest frequency of studies on HIV/AIDS (30 studies). The overall prevalence of HIV/AIDS among Pacific islanders was between 1 to 14 percent. The most common determinants of community-based studies were ethnicity and gender, while they were age and ethnicity in the school-based studies and age in the hospital-based studies. The highest risk factors for HIV were substance abuse, number of sexual partners and unprotected sex. Conclusion:The results of the study highlighted the main determinants and risk factors, which provide a framework for public health experts and program planners to focus on different aspects of HIV/AIDS. As HIV/AIDS is a culturally sensitive health issue, developing preventive strategies considering the factors determined in this study will be strongly advised.展开更多
文摘Introduction: Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors contribute to the significant rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), most notably cardiovascular disease (CVD), in the Pacific Island nations. The aim of this study is to review previously published articles to understand common modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors of CVD among Pacific countries. Methods: This systematic review is conducted using different databases including;Scopus, Medline, EMBASE, and psycINFO. This systematic review is based on the Cochrane review process. All articles published in the English language from 1<sup>st</sup> January 2000 to 1<sup>st</sup> September 2016, will be included in the study. After reviewing all of the articles’ titles, abstracts, and full text, the final articles were reviewed and the relevant data was included in the data extraction sheet. A descriptive analysis was conducted to measure the common risk factors of CVD in Pacific countries. Results: Overall, 45 articles met the inclusion criteria of the study. The results showed that age was the most common non-modifiable risk factor while diabetes, high blood lipid, and high blood pressure were the most common modifiable risk factors of CVD. There were only three interventional studies which had all of the significant influences in reducing the risk factors of CVD when the results were compared with the control group. Conclusion: While it is not possible to change the non-modifiable risk factors for CVD, we encourage policy makers to use the results of this study to develop health promotion strategies to address the modifiable risk factors for CVD. Interventional strategies are highly recommended in the Pacific countries to tackle the modifiable risk factors for CVD.
文摘Introduction: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is known as the biggest public health challenge in both developed and developing countries. This systematic review study is carried out to assess the prevalence, determinants, and risk factors of HIV/AIDS in Pacific countries. Methods: This systematic review study applied Cochrane Library Guideline to search, review, apprise, and analyze the articles related to HIV/AIDS. Both qualitative and quantitative articles were published between 2000 to 2016, in English language and were published in databases such as MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, EBSCO, ProQuest, Springer and PyschInfo. A data extraction sheet was made and a descriptive statistic was applied to analyze the data. Results: Fifty-one studies met the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. The United States had the highest frequency of studies on HIV/AIDS (30 studies). The overall prevalence of HIV/AIDS among Pacific islanders was between 1 to 14 percent. The most common determinants of community-based studies were ethnicity and gender, while they were age and ethnicity in the school-based studies and age in the hospital-based studies. The highest risk factors for HIV were substance abuse, number of sexual partners and unprotected sex. Conclusion:The results of the study highlighted the main determinants and risk factors, which provide a framework for public health experts and program planners to focus on different aspects of HIV/AIDS. As HIV/AIDS is a culturally sensitive health issue, developing preventive strategies considering the factors determined in this study will be strongly advised.
