Addressing the podiatry needs of Pacific matua through community- based service delivery – prioritising collaborative engagement approaches

El-Shadan Tautolo; Faasisila Savila; Wendy Wrapson; Stephen Neville; Valerie A. A. Wright-St Clair; Ofa Dewes; Janis Paterson

doi:10.26635/phd.2025.178

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Addressing the podiatry needs of Pacific matua through community- based service delivery – prioritising collaborative engagement approaches

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Addressing the podiatry needs of Pacific matua through community- based service delivery – prioritising collaborative engagement approaches

El-Shadan Tautolo, Faasisila Savila, Wendy Wrapson, Stephen Neville, Valerie A. A. Wright-St Clair, Ofa Dewes and Janis Paterson

Pacific Health Dialog, Vol.25(3), pp.116-121

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26635/phd.2025.178

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Abstract

Geriatrics and gerontology

Pacific

podiatry

public health

co-design

community-based healthcare

engagement

Introduction: Pacific peoples in Aoteaoroa NZ experience poorer health and greater unmet health needs than the non-Pacific population, often due to financial or language barriers, mono-cultural assumptions, and practices of healthcare professionals. Within the plethora of health and social issues faced by Pacific matua, podiatric (foot) health is increasingly recognised as a vital component for health and wellbeing for older Pacific people. This study used a co-design approach to investigate podiatric health amongst a cohort of Pacific matua (older Pacific people) based in Auckland, NZ. Methods: Seventy-eight Pacific matua, recruited from amongst the four largest Pacific ethnicities in New Zealand, participated as co-researchers in the project. Talanoa and participatory action research methods were used by the team which comprised Pacific matua representatives, university-based podiatry staff and students, and academic researchers, to co-design and deliver sessions on footcare assessment and maintenance. Results: Overall, lower limb health was good; however, 13 Pacific matua required follow-up, for thickened toenails and other minor issues such as dry skin. Two Pacific matua were referred to their family physician for further assessment of suspected melanoma underneath the toenail. Conclusion: Regular podiatric assessments and maintenance sessions were highlighted as important events for Pacific matua. The fundamental requisites for effective community-academic partnerships with Pacific matua are grounded in collaborative processes, regular consultation, and sustained engagement.

Details

Title: Addressing the podiatry needs of Pacific matua through community- based service delivery – prioritising collaborative engagement approaches
Authors: El-Shadan Tautolo (Corresponding Author) - Auckland University of Technology
Faasisila Savila - University of Auckland
Wendy Wrapson - Auckland University of Technology
Stephen Neville (Author) - Auckland University of Technology
Valerie A. A. Wright-St Clair - Auckland University of Technology
Ofa Dewes - University of Auckland
Janis Paterson - Auckland University of Technology
Publication details: Pacific Health Dialog, Vol.25(3), pp.116-121
Publisher: Pasifika Medical Association
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.26635/phd.2025.178
ISSN: 2422-8656
Copyright note: © 2025 Tautolo et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Grant note: The research team acknowledges funding from the Ageing Well National Science Challenge – grant number UOOX-1508.
Organisation Unit: Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; School of Health - Nursing
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991163045602621
Output Type: Journal article

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