The World Health Organization says obesity rates are rising in Pacific island countries. So, too, a healthy problem linked to be overweight. The WHO says a major reason for the rising obesity rates is an increase in imported foods. It is said many pacific islands have replaced their traditional diets as vegetables and
fruits with imported processed foods. Doctor Temu Waquivalu is with the World Health Organization South Pacific Office in Suva, Fiji, he says, many of the imported
foods lack nutritional value, but they are widely available, he says, and often cost less than healthy foods. |