Training Materials Utilizing Food Choices for Healthful Living

As the instructor for this program you have the unique opportunity to help communities achieve a healthier lifestyle, enjoy the benefits of good nutrition and be successful at managing Diabetes.This three part series contains practical information that is designed to be educational and interactive. The goal of this curriculum is to bring up-to-date nutrition and Diabetes information to individuals that provide nutrition and health education. We welcome your enthusiasm and sensitivity and hope you find the information useful.Funding by the United States Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Grant Number: 94- 38826-0179

Promoting Breast Cancer Screening through Storytelling by Chamorro Cancer Survivors

The largest Chamorro population outside of Guam and the Mariana Islands reside in California. Cancer health disparities disproportionally affect Pacific Islander communities, including the Chamorro, and breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women. To address health concerns such as cancer, Pacific Islander women frequently utilize storytelling to initiate conversations about health and to address sensitive topics such as breast health and cancer. One form of storytelling used in San Diego is a play that conveys the message of breast cancer screening to the community in a culturally and linguistically appropriate way. This play, Nan Nena’s Mammogram, tells the story of an older woman in the community who learns about breast cancer screening from her young niece. The story builds upon the underpinnings of Chamorro culture - family, community, support, and humor - to portray discussing breast health, getting support for breast screening, and visiting the doctor. The story of Nan Nena’s Mammogram reflects the willingness of a few pioneering Chamorro women to use their personal experiences of cancer survivorship to promote screening for others. Through the support of a Chamorro community-based organization, these Chamorro breast cancer survivors have used the success of Nan Nena’s Mammogram to expand their education activities and to form a new cancer survivor organization for Chamorro women in San Diego

The Role of Trust in Public Attitudes toward Invasive Species Management on Guam: A Case Study

Public attitudes toward invasive alien species management and trust in managers’ ability to effectively manage non-native species can determine public support for conservation action. Guam has experienced widespread species loss and ecosystem transformation due to invasive species. Despite Guam’s long history with invasives and efforts to eradicate them, we know little about the sociological context of invasive species. Using focused group discussions, we explore public attitudes toward invasive species management. Respondents expressed support for management activities and a desire to participate directly in conservation actions. Participants also expressed frustration with government institutions and lack of confidence in managers’ abilities to control invasive species. Perceptions of managers’ trustworthiness, communication with managers, and positive personal experiences with managers were related to positive attitudes about management and support for existing initiatives

Public leadership: A study of the leadership practices of elected public officials in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Elected public officials hold one of the highest levels of leadership. They are voted into office with the belief that they embody the ideals of a good leader and are charged with the all-encompassing task of making crucial decisions that affect all sectors of society and its constituents. There is pressure to produce results, maintain credibility in their performance, and build trust with constituents. It is essential that an assessment tool be used to help leaders gain perspective and understanding in determining the effectiveness of their leadership practices. The opportunities to self-evaluate allow leaders to continuously refine their craft to improve their performance and, thus, better serve the needs of their constituents. In Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, no process exists to evaluate the effectiveness of leadership practices of elected public officials. The results of this study will not only contribute to the scarce literature of public officials in the region, but can also be used in the development of leadership in the region. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify and measure the leadership practices of 89 public officials using Kouzes and Posner's leadership model (Modeling the Way, Inspiring a Shared Vision, Challenging the Process, Enabling Others to Act, and Encouraging the Heart) and the Leadership Practices Inventory as the research instrument. This study also determined if there were differences in leadership practices based on demographic information (gender, age, ethnicity, number of years of service, education level, frequency of leadership training/development, and area of representation). Descriptive statistics determined the significance of differences between the variables derived from demographic information using ANOVA. Twenty-six public officials voluntarily completed an online version of the LPI through Survey Monkey, including demographic information. Based on the findings, respondents scored "moderate" on the five leadership practices. The differences were in Modeling the Way and Enabling Others to Act based on frequency of participation in training/development activities. In Modeling the Way and Inspiring a Shared Vision, the differences were based on gender and area of representation. There were no differences in Challenging the Process and Encouraging the Heart

Reforestation of Degraded Landscapes in Micronesia

Wildfires on degraded grasslands cause extensive soil erosion and cause environmental and economic damage worldwide. We conducted fertilizer, lime, and mulch trials to improve growth of trees planted in acid soils in degraded grasslands on the Micronesian islands of Guam, Rota, and Yap. Fertilizer application had no effect on height growth of Acacia auriculiformis seedlings on a Mollisol on Guam while lime application had a small but significant positive effect on height growth. Fertilizer application had a significant positive effect on height growth of Acacia confusa seedlings planted on an Oxisol on Rota but lime had no effect. Mulch application increased height growth of Swietenia macrophylla seedlings planted on an Oxisol on Yap but lime application had no effect. Collaboration between university researchers and local forestry agencies can improve reforestation success, but researchers need to consider local capabilities and local knowledge

How people, rainfall and vegetation shape tropical island fire regimes across Micronesia

Aim: To provide the first regional analysis of contemporary drivers of Pacific Island fire regimes. Location: Islands of Palau, Yap, Guam, Rota, Tinian, Saipan, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae. Time Period: 1950-present. Methods: We used land cover, soil maps and contemporary fire histories to (1) describe the relationships among fire activity, vegetation, rainfall and island geography and population; (2) examine the spatial associations of forest and savanna vegetation with respect to fire and soil types; and (3) link fire and savanna distribution to intra-annual and inter-annual rainfall variability. Results: Savanna extent was positively correlated with island age and the range of mean monthly rainfall. The percent of area burned annually reached upwards of 2%–10% of island land areas, correlated positively with rainfall seasonality, and occurred largely within savannas. Savannas were more frequent on acidic soils with higher aluminium than forests but distributed across all soil types. El Niño intensity correlated negatively with dry season rainfall over the entire study region and positively with annual area burned on Guam. Main Conclusions: The contemporary extents of savannas in Micronesia reflect Pacific Islanders\u27 long-term use of fire to shape vegetation and are modulated by inter- and intra-annual rainfall variability. These relationships provide baseline information for ongoing fire management and mitigation projects throughout Micronesia and critical insight for assessing and anticipating fire risk in other insular areas where fire data are limited. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd