Social Epidemiology and Determinants of Health in Fiji: Social, Cultural, and Environmental Factors Influencing Public Health Status, Climate Change and Rates of Leptospirosis

Abstract

Social determinants of health play a major role in the development of sustainable healthcare systems in much of the Pacific. This includes Fiji, which is the largest of the Pacific island nations, and is in many ways a leader if health in the region. Despite this, Fiji, along with the entire Pacific, continues to labour under a heavy burden of both non-communicable, as well as communicable diseases, including emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, such as leptospirosis, all of which is mediated by economic conditions and the growing threat of climate change. This monograph explores the social epidemiology of health determinants of health in Fiji from the standpoint of social, cultural, and environmental factors; before looking at the impact of such on public health systems and population health status, climate change and disease rates, and finally, the impact of such on the rising rates of leptospirosis regionally.

Keywords: Social Determinants, Social Epidemiology, Fiji, Leptospirosis, Public Health, Wealth Distribution, Food Security, Prejudice, Climate, Change, Environmental Health, Infectious Diseases