ACPIR's Health and communities research is dedicated to strengthening the wellbeing of Pacific Island populations through community-driven, culturally relevant, and self-sustainable approaches.

Our interdisciplinary research integrates health, education, and social systems to enhance individual and collective resilience, empowering Pacific communities to thrive amid environmental, social, and economic challenges. 

Through multi-disciplinary, partnership-based research, we collaborate with donors, civil society, government, academia, and communities to drive meaningful and lasting health outcomes. By addressing the social and environmental determinants of wellbeing – such as access to quality healthcare, education, and culturally appropriate support systems- we co-develop sustainable solutions that create real impact.

Fostering community-led solutions and building on Pacific strengths, the Health and Communities theme contributes to healthier, more resilient populations across the region.

Our work spans a broad range of focus areas, including:

• community health and well-being
• traditional knowledge and culturally rigorous approaches to health
• resilient and inclusive healthcare systems
• youth and women’s empowerment in health and leadership
• mental health and psychosocial support
• maternal and infant health and wellbeing
• urbanisation and changing health landscapes
• health equity and policy development

Research projects

• Oyster and seaweed mariculture in Fiji and northern Australia
• Understanding the role of diviners and traditional healers in witchcraft and sorcery accusations in the Pacific 
• An investigation of Infection Prevent and Control (IPC) professionals' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: A global perspective 
• Football in Oceania: An investigation of football (soccer) communities positioned outside the sport’s mainstream culture
• Samoan seaweed recipe book and resource suite development
• The MaMi Project: Investigating maternal micronutrient availability and impacts in Vanuatu
• Development of a NOVA screener for ultra-processed food consumption in the Pacific Islands
• Understanding School Food Provision in the Pacific: Scoping the potential of local food systems to improve diets, nutrition and livelihoods
• Combatting antimicrobial resistance in the Pacific Islands

With the United Nations Human Rights Council resolving to eliminate harmful practices related to witchcraft accusation and ritual attack, UniSC researchers seek to understand the role diviners and traditional healers play in witchcraft and sorcery accusations in Papua New Guinea (PNG). A multi-year study by researchers from the Australian National University and the PNG National Research Institute documents 298 incidents of violence across four provinces of PNG between 2016 and 2020, involving 546 victims. Despite ongoing eradication attempts by the PNG Government, sorcery accusation related violence remains prevalent.

While diviners known as glasman/glasmeri are frequently reported to contribute to sorcery accusations in PNG, there is limited empirical research on the phenomenon. This project involves conducting a scoping review to assess the available literature concerning the involvement of diviners and traditional healers in witchcraft and sorcery accusations throughout the Pacific. The project analyses a dataset collected by researchers from the Australian National University and the PNG National Research Institute to understand the role of glasman/glasmeri in sorcery accusations within PNG.

This project combines creative writing, sports heritage and community engagement practices to uncover and acknowledge histories related to two marginalised football communities in Australasia and the Pacific Islands. The project is the first to gather evidence, document, review, map and analyse overlapping fields within critical football studies related to: women’s football (soccer) in Oceania; and Beach Soccer communities in the Pacific Islands.

The project team negotiated appropriate strategies for enabling collaboration with Indigenous and Pacific Island communities and best practice approaches for community engagement. Through exploring archival research and conducting interviews with OFC Oceania Nations Cup 2022 tournament participants from American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tonga, and Vanuatu, the team aimed to develop new histories of women’s football and build better understanding of challenges and issues affecting marginalised football communities in the Pacific Islands. This research has led to publication of the first edition of the book Women’s Soccer in Oceania (2023).

Samoan seaweed recipe book and resource suite development

2023–2024

Seaweed provides direct benefits to the health and wellbeing of local communities, as well as income opportunities for women.

In this project, an interdisciplinary research team are working together to develop a series of assets for a Samoan seaweed recipe book for Samoan / Pacific Island communities. These assets are varied, including seaweed facts, recipes, nutrition analysis, food photographs, impact stories, value chain opportunities, sustainable harvesting methods. The team includes undergraduate students from the disciplines of nutrition and dietetics; creative writing; and design.

The project developed from the 2020–2021 project 'Improving nutrition through women’s and men’s engagement in the seaweed food chain in Kiribati and Samoa'.

Maternal (Ma) micronutrient (Mi) deficiencies refer to the suboptimal intake of critical minerals and vitamins peri-conception and during pregnancy. In utero, the fetus sources micronutrients from the maternal diet, delivered via the mothers’ blood to the placenta. Maternal micronutrient deficiencies (MDs) increase the risk of fetal growth restriction and congenital anomalies which directly increase risks of fatal preterm birth, stillbirth, perinatal and infant deaths.

Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICT) peoples are at increasing risk of disability and death caused by non-communicable diseases attributed to malnutrition and MDs. Children born in PICTs are on average seven times more likely to be stillborn or die perinatally or as infants relative to neighbouring countries.

The MaMi (Bislama for “mum”) project focuses on Vanuatu and is partnering with colleagues from the Vanuatu Ministry of Health. Vanuatu is reported as having high rates of stillbirth, perinatal and infant death; increasing malnutrition rates and identified as being poorly represented in PICT focused MD research.

The project aims to:

1. Develop a strong partnership with the Vanuatu Ministry of Health (MoH) and local non-government organisations (NGOs) to enhance local research capacity and UniSCs reputation in PICTs such as Vanuatu.
2. Determine approximate micronutrient intakes of reproductive aged women in urban, semi-rural and remote Vanuatu.
3. Record Ni-Vanuatu experiences of birth complications, stillbirth, and perinatal/infant loss in urban, semi-rural and remote areas.

The DFAT-funded project aimed at combatting antimicrobial resistance (COMBAT-AMR) and capacity building across Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Solomon Islands. Using a One Health approach, the program included several streams, including human and animal health. Dr Matthew Mason’s contribution was to the project’s infection prevention and control arms in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

At the National Referral Hospital in Honiara a multidisciplinary group of local and international clinicians was established with the purpose of improving clinical management of patients with blood stream infections within the larger program supporting training and capacity building to address the threat of antimicrobial resistance.

The project supported the clinicians in the management of blood stream infections. Over 18 months, a weekly interdisciplinary meeting was held where results of blood stream infections were discussed including the clinical management of the patient, investigation of any contributing factors, and if there was any need to implement higher levels of infection prevention and control activities.

UniSC takes action to support achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's)

• Goal 1: No poverty
• Goal 2: Zero hunger
• Goal 3: Good health and wellbeing
• Goal 13: Climate action
• Goal 14: Life below water
• Goal 15: Life on land
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals