Lay summary
This is a PhD application and the applicant has recently completed a Masters of Public Health degree at the University of Otago. The applicant comes from Fiji and whilst growing up in Fiji was surrounded by children and observed child-bearing and pregnancy. This encouraged her interest in maternal and reproductive health, and an appreciation of the effect of the reproduction of life on a mother, her child and the community has became central. Fundamental to the social unit of Pacific societies is family; the improvement of the health of the family influences the health and wellbeing of Pacific communities and nations. Therefore, as integral members of Pacific families, mothers need to be well. Although extensive research has been completed on the health of an unborn child and that the newborn's health is greatly affected by the health of their mothers (Low et al. 1995, Sandata et al. 2007), little research has been done that addresses these issues for Pacific people. As a consequence this PhD study aims to improve Family Planning services to aid with uptake methods for Fijian women as there has been limited research in Fiji on reproductive health and more specifically on the attitudes, intentions and expectations of Fijian women who use Family Planning in Fiji and New Zealand, and there is need for such research in Pacific Island countries and where many Pacific people migrate. This will include an analysis of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of family planning of Fijian women living in Fiji and New Zealand and it will also look at identifying factors that will improve family planning service provision and health outcomes. For Pacific women, this research will fill the gap in our knowledge and will inform a Pacific framework for the delivery of services and provide a basis for further research in other developed countries with migrant populations.