Teenagers Top Obesity List for Children in Fiji
About 8.1 per cent of children between the ages of 15 and 17 top the list among children in Fiji for being overweight, it was revealed during a forum at the Novotel in Nadi yesterday.
This was the statistics revealed by the National Nutrition Survey Draft Report 2019 during the Pacific Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO) Network Programme Forum.
The statistics were revealed after the Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete opened the Pacific Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO) Network Program Forum.
Speaking to at least 50 participants from the different Pacific Island countries, Dr Waqainabete said there was a lot of evidence to show children are struggling with obesity.
“There’s a lot of evidence that children who struggle with being overweight and obese when they were young continue to struggle with weight issues when they become adults,” Dr Waqainabete said.
“There’s also evidence to suggest that children who are overweight and obese when they are young, struggle with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD’s) when they are older and their quanlity of life deteriorates.
“It’s interesting to note that there is a considerable number of our current population that are passing away at about 40 or 50 and even before 60. The Pacific region is not immune to the prevalence of obesity and being overweight but it’s a crisis.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that worldwide, obesity tripled since 1975 and just
for diabetes alone in 1970, the prevalence was about 2 per cent where now the prevalence sits at about 15 to 20 per cent.
He added in the Pacific, we could prevent the prevalence obesity and improve our people’s quality of life by making the right choices with