WHO says over 50% population obese in 10 Pacific islands, causing host of health problems

Adolescents learn good eating habits at a youth centre in Port Vila, Vanuatu (photo: Unicef /Giacomo Pirozzi)

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – Three Pacific Island regions, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia are home to 10 islands whose populations are suffering from growing health problems, with obesity at the root of the problem. Imported foods are the main culprit, says the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva.

WHO surveys show that in at least 10 Pacific island countries, more than 50 percent of the population is overweight.

Obesity prevalence ranges from more than 30% in Fiji to a “staggering 80 percent among women in American Samoa”, a territory of the USA, says the organization.

Overweight is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) equal to or more than 25, and obesity as a BMI equal to or more than 30.

“Promotion of traditional foods has fallen by the wayside. They are unable to compete with the glamour and flashiness of imported foods,” says Dr Temo K Waqanivalu, the WHO’s technical officer for nutrition and physical activity for the South Pacific.

Fewer imports and more fresh, local food, including fish and vegetables, are needed in people’s diets, he says.

Imported food in the past came mainly from Australia and New Zealand, but much of it now comes from China, Malaysia and the Philippines. These foods are often energy-dense and nutritionally poor, such as highly refined cereals and fatty meat, according to the Pacific Food Summit.

Lack of food safety regulations is a problem, with old, damaged and contaminated products arriving in the market as well as products with low mineral content that are high in sugar and fat.

Nutrition labels are not only inconsistent but often not in English, the common language spoken in most Pacific island countries, says the WHO, and clearer, more easily understood labelling would help in the drive to improve diets. But increasing the consumption of locally-grown foods comes with another set of problems, the impact of climate change on agricultural, pointing to the need for a joint solution involving many sectors in several countries.

Health problems reaching daunting levels in South Pacific

Excess weight has already led to a host of health problems, including diabetes: 47 percent of the population in American Samoa is diabetic, compared to 14 percent in mainland USA, and in the rest of the region it varies from 14-44 percent.

In Fiji only 16 percent of the population is under age 55 due to the high number of premature deaths from non-communicable diseases, many of which are triggered by excess weight.

Micronutrient deficiencies are common, reports the WHO. “In 15 of 16 countries surveyed, more than one fifth of children and pregnant women were anaemic. In Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, iodine deficiency and related goitre are endemic although, in Fiji and Papua New Guinea, great progress was made recently through salt iodization.

In many other Pacific countries and territories the situation is yet to be assessed. Vitamin A deficiency is also a significant public health risk in Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Papua New Guinea.”

Economic cost high

Obesity is taking an economic toll as well. A 2000 World Bank study found that health care costs consumed 35-58 percent of the budget for three countries in the region. A study of garment workers in Fiji showed an 11 percent reduction in efficiency, compared to other workers who took iron supplements to treat the anemia.

A Pacific Food Summit in Vanuatu focused on the dietary problem, and participating countries and territories unanimously endorsed a framework for action on food security.

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