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Tausiaina o le Ma‘i Sela o Lau Tama

Written by Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ on May 25th, 2020. 0 comments

The comprehensive Managing your Child's Asthma booklet is now available in Samoan! Based on the Wellchild book format, this booklet aims to be a 'keep and refer to' style resource which covers everything you need to know to effectively manage a child's asthma. 

 The “Managing your child’s asthma” resource will also help parents and caregivers to answer these questions:

  • What is asthma?
  • What are the symptoms of asthma?
  • What are the triggers for asthma?
  • How is asthma treated?
  • What should I do to manage my child’s asthma?
  • What should I do in an emergency?
  • Should my child be physically active?
  • Who can help?
  • Who are our asthma health providers? 

Asthma is a common New Zealand illness, but it’s scary for parents when it affects their child. It’s not unusual for parents to find it difficult to take in information, or leave the doctor’s office feeling overwhelmed and wishing they had asked more questions.

The ‘Managing Your Child’s Asthma’ booklet (Tausiaina o le ma’i sela o lau tama) is the first of many key resources being translated into Samoan. More resources are on the way, including Asthma and COPD Action Plans, Child Symptom Diary, and Asthma First Aid posters.

Joanna Turner, Research and Education Manager at ARFNZ, says that the Samoan resources are pivotal to the goal of reducing respiratory illness among Pasifika.

"Asthma has a large prevalence within our schools and communities, especially among Māori and Pacific populations,” says Joanna, “and these communities have historically been quite difficult to reach. Our hope is that, by removing a potential language barrier, we can encourage more Pasifika people to engage with their respiratory health.

"The Foundation strives to provide resources and education across all areas of the community, including providing free asthma spacers to asthma societies across New Zealand, developing the National Asthma Guidelines, and providing asthma management plans in a multitude of languages." 

The Foundation’s translation project began in 2019 with the publication of key resources in Te Reo Maori last March. More translations will be coming up in the future.

Download the PDF here
Order the free printed version here

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