For more information about the Global Health Program, please visit https://apru.org/our-work/pacific-rim-challenges/global-health/.

Abstract Background: Although cultural factors play a crucial role in experience of stigma, there is scant review on the impact and importance of culture on stigma of mental illness across Pacific Rim Region. This study aims to investigate: 1) the cultural factors related to stigmatizing beliefs about mental illness in Pacific Rim region, and 2) culture-specific measures and interventions on stigma of mental illness. Methods: A systematic search of papers was conducted in the MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Google scholar through January 2003 to April 2019. Results: Forty-one studies in Pacific Rim region which met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The rate of stigma of mental illness (e.g., public stigma: from 25.4 to 85.2%) was relatively high in Pacific Rim region. Culture factors (e.g., Collectivism, Confucianism, face concern and familism, religion and supernatural beliefs) contributed to people’s stigmatizing behaviors and attitudes toward persons with mental illness, their relatives and mental health professionals. Certain measurements were developed and employed to assess different type of cultural factors related to stigma of mental illness. Conclusions: Cultural factors play an important role in influencing the rate and performance of stigma of mental illness. Further research on stigma of mental illness and culture-specific interventions to reduce the stigma should be conducted in the Pacific Rim region. Keywords: Mental illness, Stigma, Culture factors, PacificRim region, Intervention, Measurements

To know more about the APRU Climate Change Simulation, read an article here.

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This paper is a content analysis of the videos submitted for the 2016 APRU GH Case Competition on tobacco control. The videos outlined student proposals on how to better use universities as a platform for tobacco control efforts in the Pacific Rim region. Authors are from University of Southern California and University of Auckland. One of the authors is a medical student.

For more information about the Global Health Program, please visit https://apru.org/our-work/pacific-rim-challenges/global-health/.

This policy statement was developed as part of a panel on the drug problems in the Philippines that was held as part of the 2017 annual conference in Manila. Authors come from USC and the University of the Philippines.

Association of Pacific Rim Universities Global Health Program researchers published an article about best practices for global health practicums in the Journal of Community Health Nov. 11, 2017. The objective of this paper is to report on the efforts of the APRU GHP to develop collaboratively a set of recommendations regarding global health practicums for academic institutions.

This policy statement was developed as part of a small roundtable session at the 2018 annual conference in Kuala Lumpur. The authors are from University of Southern California and University of Malaya.

Based on the webinar held by the APRU Global Health Bioethics Working Group, the paper offers diverse perspectives to analyze the ethical challenges associated with COVID-19. Find out details about the authors and the webinar here. To know more about the APRU Global Health Program, please visit https://apru.org/our-work/pacific-rim-challenges/global-health/.

Find out more about the Global Health Mini Certificate Course in Health Research Ethics here.

This policy statement was developed collaboratively at a special half-day session on migration that was held as part of the 2017 annual conference in Manila. Authors come from USC, UC Davis and the University of the Philippines. Aligning with our goal of education and training for students, one of the co-authors is an undergraduate student. In the acknowledgments we also mentioned all of the participants who helped to develop and who endorsed this statement at the conference.

The Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Working Group of the APRU Global Health Program conducted a joint survey, collecting data on socio-demographics, socioeconomic status, clinical information, lifestyle habits, resilience levels and its association with maladaptive coping behaviors. More papers will be published based on the survey analysis.

For more information about the Global Health Program, please visit https://apru.org/our-work/pacific-rim-challenges/global-health/.

This paper outlines the results of our student survey on e-cigarettes. The survey was developed and implemented by members of the Working Group on E-Cigarettes. The survey was administered online to students at APRU members and more than 2,000 participated. Authors are from University of Southern California, Peking University, Far Eastern Federal University, University of the Philippines, and the University of Tokyo.

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APRU Global Health Program released its latest report on Workplace Wellness (WW) finding that although many universities have implemented a range of programs designed to promote employee health and well-being, these programs are often not designed in a strategic or comprehensive way. The report was initiated at the Global Health Conference 2016, a special workshop on workplace wellness was held on the first day of the conference. A Sydney Statement on Employee Health and Well-being was announced and called on our universities to fulfil the responsibility to their employee’s health and well-being. The report is based on an online survey conducted by the APRU Global Health Program (GHP) and completed by 29 universities in 13 Asia-Pacific economies in 2018. The survey aimed to assess the range and scope of employee health and wellness programs at universities in the Asia-Pacific; evaluate gaps and challenges; and facilitate the crafting of recommendations. “We identified a number of innovative and successful workplace wellness programs that our member universities offer, such as fitness challenges and health screenings, but programs relating to mental health, violence, and smoking cessation are especially lacking,” Prof Mellissa Withers of USC says. “The results demonstrate that the main perceived challenge of workplace wellness programs is lack of employee participation,” she adds. The survey suggests that participation suffers from a lack of protected time for employees to engage in WW programs. It also found that few universities offered financial rewards (such as discounts for health insurance or salary bonuses) for employees who have healthy lifestyles. The report moreover cited universities’ insufficient usage of social media or mobile phone messaging to disseminate health information to employees. Among the commendable case studies highlighted are The University of Hong Kong’s Walking Challenge, which entails a goal number of steps for the HKU community to walk together. In October 2018, the challenge expanded to involve over 1,500 people from more than 17 countries and amassed 463,447,412 steps—equivalent to walking 7 times around the world. Another case study is the Domestic Violence Support Policy by The University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, which supports members who are directly or indirectly experiencing domestic violence, including by offering paid domestic violence leave of up to 10 days. The University of Southern California, for its part, offers an attractive reward scheme for smoking cessation, with staff and faculty who do not use tobacco or commit to enroll in a tobacco cessation program receiving a $25 reduction per month in paycheck contributions for their medical plan. The APRU GHP, launched in 2007, is hosted by the University of Southern California and is led by Program Director, Professor Mellissa Withers. Its main purpose is to foster discussion of global health in the region as APRU institutions respond to global and regional needs for capacity building, education and research.

For more information about the publication, please visit https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3537081.

Dr Withers published a comment on behalf of the Program in the new journal Journal of Global Health Science. Dr. Juhwan Oh, the editor-in-chief is a member of the APRU GH Program Advisory Group. For more details, please see https://apru.org/apru-global-health-program-advisory-group-leader-launches-new-journal/.

This one is the nine publications from the COVID-19 survey led by the NCD working group under the APRU Global Health Program. More papers will be released soon.