Obesity in the Pacific

Nauruan residents walking around Nauru International Airport.
Young Nauruans in 1914

According to Forbes, Pacific island nations and associated states make up the top seven on a 2007 list of heaviest countries, and eight of the top ten. In all these cases, more than 70% of citizens age 15 and over are obese.[1] A mitigating excuse argument is that the BMI measures used to appraise obesity in Caucasian bodies may need to be adjusted for appraising obesity in Polynesian bodies, which typically have larger bone and muscle mass than Caucasian bodies.[2][3][4][5]

Obesity in Pacific islands is a growing health concern with health officials stating that it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the Pacific Rim.

Weight rank

World ranking[1] Pacific country % of overweight persons (age 15 and over)
1.Nauru94.5
2.Micronesia, Federated States of91.1
3.Cook Islands90.9
4.Tonga90.8
5.Niue81.7
6.Samoa80.4
7.Palau78.4
10.Kiribati73.6

Nations

Nauru

Obesity is seen as a sign of wealth in Nauru.[6] 31% of Nauruans are diabetic.[7] This rate is as high as 45% among the 55-64 year old age group .[6]

Tonga

Life expectancy has fallen to 64 in Tonga. Tongan life expectancy used to be in the mid-70s.[8] Up to 40% of the population is said to have type 2 diabetes.[8] Tongan Royal Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, who died in 2006, holds the Guinness World Record for being the heaviest-ever monarch - 200kg.[8]

Fiji

In Fiji, strokes used to be rare in the under 50s, whilst doctors reported that they had become common amongst patients in their 20s and 30s.[9] Research done on globalization's impact on health indicates that the rise in average BMI in Fiji correlates with the increase in imports of processed food. [10]

Marshall Islands

In the Marshall Islands in 2008, there were 8,000 cases of diabetes out of a population of 53,000.[9] A survey done in the Marshall Islands revealed that the percentage of the total population considered overweight or obese was 62.5%.[11]

Causes

Reasons for obesity in the Pacific islands are thought to include:

  • Diet. Much of the local diet is of processed, calorie-dense, imported food such as spam or corned beef, rather than fresh fish, fruit and vegetables, in part because past mining reduced the amount of arable land.[12][13][14] Some very unhealthy foods are sold in the Pacific islands due to relatively low wealth.[15]
  • A relatively sedentary lifestyle, including among children.[16]
  • Cultural factors including:
    • Past poor public education on diet, exercise and health[17] (micronutrient deficiencies are also common[18]),
    • Feasting and festivals continue currently to be major parts of life,[19]
    • Imported foods have been given higher social status than local, healthier foods,[20] and
    • Historically a large body size was associated with wealth, power and beauty.[6][21]

High rates of obesity appear within 15 months of birth.[22]

Results

Obesity is leading to increased levels of illness, including diabetes[23] and heart diseases.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Lauren Streib (8 February 2007). "World's Fattest Countries". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2007-02-07.
  2. ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304572609_Polynesian_Bones
  3. ↑ https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/fat-of-the-land-nauru-tops-obesity-league-2169418.html%5Bfull+citation+needed%5D
  4. ↑ https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324695104578417043182612254%5Bfull+citation+needed%5D
  5. ↑ Snowdon, Wendy; Malakellis, Mary; Millar, Lynne; Swinburn, Boyd (2014). "Ability of body mass index and waist circumference to identify risk factors for non-communicable disease in the Pacific Islands". Obesity Research & Clinical Practice. 8 (1): e36–45. doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2012.06.005. PMID 24548575.
  6. 1 2 3 Marks, Kathy (26 December 2010). "Fat of the land: Nauru tops obesity league". The Independent. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  7. ↑ Streib, Lauren (2 August 2007). "Nauru: 94.5 % overweight". Forbes.com. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 "How mutton flaps are killing Tonga". BBC News. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Modern life means modern ills for obese Pacific islanders". AFP. 8 February 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  10. ↑ "The effect of sugar and processed food imports on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 172 countries". 14 April 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  11. ↑ Ichiho, Henry M.; Seremai, Johannes; Trinidad, Richard; Paul, Irene; Langidrik, Justina; Aitaoto, Nia (2013-5). "An assessment of non-communicable diseases, diabetes, and related risk factors in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Kwajelein Atoll, Ebeye Island: a systems perspective". Hawai'i Journal of Medicine & Public Health: A Journal of Asia Pacific Medicine & Public Health. 72 (5 Suppl 1): 77–86. ISSN 2165-8242. PMC 3689463. PMID 23901366. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ↑ Nick Squires (12 April 2008). "Spam at heart of South Pacific obesity crisis". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  13. ↑ Phil Mercer (26 February 2007). "South Pacific Leads the World in Obesity". Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  14. ↑ Obesity in Nauru#Cause of obesity
  15. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35346493
  16. ↑ "Pacific Islanders are world's fattest". BBC News. 28 November 2001. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  17. ↑ http://www.wpro.who.int/publications/docs/obesityinthepacific.pdf?ua=1
  18. ↑ http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/7/10-010710/en/
  19. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1681297.stm
  20. ↑ http://www.wpro.who.int/publications/docs/obesityinthepacific.pdf?ua=1
  21. ↑ http://www.wpro.who.int/publications/docs/obesityinthepacific.pdf?ua=1
  22. ↑ https://news.brown.edu/articles/2013/02/obesity
  23. ↑ Colagiuri, S; Colagiuri, R; Na'Ati, S; Muimuiheata, S; Hussain, Z; Palu, T (2002). "The Prevalence of Diabetes in the Kingdom of Tonga". Diabetes Care. 25 (8): 1378–83. doi:10.2337/diacare.25.8.1378. PMID 12145238.
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