TY  - SER
AU  - Detzel, John G.
AU  - Ruru, Stacey
AU  - Zhang, Yingsha    
AU  - Simpson, Mary L.       
AU  - Nock, Sophie
AU  - Meha, Pare
AU  - Holmes, Kath        
AU  - Clark, Marama
AU  - Adams, Hariata
AU  - Akapita, Ngapera
AU  - Ngaia, Kawarau
AU  - Murphy, Shane
AU  - Moses, Reuben
AU  - Reddy, Rangimahora
AU  - Hokowhitu, Brendan
TI  - Enhancing well-being and social connectedness for Māori elders through a peer education (tuakana-teina) programme : : a cross-sectional baseline study
PY  - 2021///
PB  - Frontiers, 
KW  - ELDER ABUSE
KW  - HAUORA
KW  - HEALTH
KW  - HOUSING
KW  - INTERVENTION
KW  - KAUMĀTUA
KW  - MĀORI
KW  - OLDER PEOPLE
KW  - ORA
KW  - RANGAHAU MĀORI
KW  - TE AO MĀORI
KW  - TIKANGA TUKU IHO
KW  - WELLBEING
KW  - WHARE HOHO
KW  - NEW ZEALAND
N1  - Frontiers in Public Health, 2022, 9:775545
N2  - Background: Māori kaumātua (elders) face stark health and social inequities compared to non-Māori New Zealanders. The tuakana-teina (older sibling-younger sibling) peer education programme is a strengths-based approach to enhance well-being and social connectedness. The purpose of this study is to present the baseline data from this programme and identify correlates of well-being outcomes.

Method: Participants included 128 kaumātua who completed a self-report survey about health-related quality of life, spirituality, social connection and loneliness, life satisfaction, cultural identity and connection, elder abuse, health service utilisation and demographics.

Findings: Multiple regression models illustrated the following correlates of outcomes: (a) self-rated health: needing more help with daily tasks (β = −0.36) and housing problems (β = –0.17); (b) health-related quality of life: needing more help with daily tasks (β = –0.31), housing problems (β = –0.21), and perceived autonomy (β = 0.19); (c) spiritual well-being: understanding of tikanga (cultural protocols) (β = 0.32) and perceived autonomy (β = 0.23); (d) life satisfaction: social support (β = 0.23), sense of purpose (β = 0.23), cultural identity (β = 0.24), trouble paying bills (β = –0.16), and housing problems (β = –0.16); (e) loneliness: elder abuse (β = 0.27), social support (β = –0.21), and missing pleasure of being with whānau (extended family) (β = 0.19).

Conclusions: Key correlates for outcomes centred on social support, housing problems, cultural connection and perceived autonomy. These correlates are largely addressed through the programme where tuakana/peer educators provide support and links to social and health services to teina/peer recipients in need. This study illustrates needs and challenges for kaumātua, whilst the larger programme represents a strengths-based and culturally-centred approach to address health issues related to ageing in an Indigenous population. (Authors' abstract). 

This research is part of the Kaumātua Mana Motuhake Pōi project, part of the aging well National Science Challenge. Follow the link to learn more about the research. 
Record #8730
UR  - https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.775545 
UR  - https://www.ageingwellchallenge.co.nz/research/kaumatua-mana-motuhake-poi/
ER  -