Abstract for: Effective Strategies for Children's Environmental Health in the Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands in the Western Pacific is one of the remotest and most environmentally vulnerable countries on earth. It is the poorest country in the region and is challenged by population growth, urbanisation, increasing pollution and climate change. Children’s health in the Solomon Islands is not improving, in contrast to global trends. 33% of the population have no access to improved water supplies, 67% have no sanitation and 80% cook on wood fires, leading to a range of environmental hazards which impact on health. A dynamic modelling approach based on the Millennium Institute's iSDG model has been used in conjunction with in-country research to seek understanding of the links between the environment and children's health outcomes. Interim results and observations on modelling in a remote environment with poor data quality and completeness will be presented at the conference and will show the links between population growth and child mortality and how the environment affects children's health in both urban and rural Solomon Islands.