Robinson Andrew, Hulme-Moir Sarah, Puloka Viliami, Smith Moira, Stanley James, Signal Louise
Health Promotion & Policy Research Unit, University of Otago, 6242 Wellington, New Zealand.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Oct 4;14(10):1170. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14101170.
Housing is a significant determinant of health, particularly in developing countries such as Tonga. Currently, very little is known about the quality of the housing in Tonga, as is the case with many developing countries, nor about the interaction between children and the home environment. This study aimed to identify the nature and extent of health risk factors and behaviours in Tongan houses from a child's perspective. An innovative methodology was used, Kids'Cam Tonga. Seventy-two Class 6 children (10 to 13-year-olds) were randomly selected from 12 randomly selected schools in Tongatapu, the main island. Each participating child wore a wearable camera on lanyards around their neck. The device automatically took wide-angled, 136° images of the child's perspective every seven seconds. The children were instructed to wear the camera all day from Friday morning to Sunday evening, inclusive. The analysis showed that the majority of Tongan children in the study live in houses that have structural deficiencies and hazards, including water damage (42%), mould (36%), and electrical (89%) and burn risk factors (28%). The findings suggest that improvements to the housing stock may reduce the associated health burden and increase buildings' resilience to natural hazards. A collaborative approach between communities, community leaders, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is urgently needed. This research methodology may be of value to other developing countries.
住房是健康的一个重要决定因素，在汤加等发展中国家尤其如此。目前，与许多发展中国家一样，人们对汤加的住房质量知之甚少，对儿童与家庭环境之间的相互作用也了解甚少。本研究旨在从儿童的角度确定汤加房屋中健康风险因素和行为的性质及程度。采用了一种创新方法——汤加儿童相机。从主岛汤加塔布的12所随机选取的学校中随机挑选了72名六年级儿童（10至13岁）。每个参与的孩子都在脖子上系着挂绳佩戴一个可穿戴相机。该设备每七秒钟自动从孩子的视角拍摄一张136°的广角图像。孩子们被要求从周五上午到周日晚上全天佩戴相机。分析表明，研究中的大多数汤加儿童居住的房屋存在结构缺陷和危险，包括水损（42%）、霉菌（36%）、电气（89%）和烧伤风险因素（28%）。研究结果表明，改善住房存量可能会减轻相关的健康负担，并提高建筑物对自然灾害的抵御能力。社区、社区领袖、政府和非政府组织（NGO）之间迫切需要采取合作方法。这种研究方法可能对其他发展中国家有价值。
