Lay summary
This is Summer Studentship application and the applicant is a third-year medical student from Samoa based at the University of Otago. The research study aims to carry out an empirical evaluation of health and wellbeing among Pacific Islanders who participate in OPPHT programs. The Otago Pacific Peoples Trust (OPPT) runs a number of health lifestyle programmes (HLPs) to improve diet, exercise and general wellbeing amongst Pacific peoples in Dunedin. The research study aims to also do a programme evaluation and statistical analysis of wellbeing, diet, and exercise among OPPHT participants before and after 5 weeks of interventions to evaluate the impact of 5 programmes. Twenty participants from each of the 5 programmes will be selected to complete the SF-36 to provide an empirical evaluation of OPPHAT (n=100) and participants will complete the survey at weeks 1 and 5 of the programme. The surveys will then be analysed to calculate physical and mental health summary scores (MC and PCS scores) and patients will be informed of their scores once the survey is complete. Other basic demographic information such as age, gender, smoking status, exercise and nutrition behaviours will be collected and results of the research will be presented to academic staff and students within the University of Otago. The supervisors are Sophia Leon de la Barra and Dr Fa'afetai Sopoaga from Otago University.