Does Samoa Have Adequate Policies to Reduce Obesity and Obesity-Related Disease?

Abstract

In obesity, abnormal or excess body fat (adiposity) impairs health, increases the risk of long-term medical complications, and results in decreased lifespan. There are many long-term medical complications to consider, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, among others. These are all difficult and expensive conditions to treat in a small developing country like Samoa. The prevalence of obesity in Samoa has steadily increased since the 1960s, and today, 53% of Samoa’s adult population are obese. People living in the small island country of Samoa, with a total population of fewer than 200 thousand people, are one of the most obese people in the world today. Factors that have contributed to obesity over the previous four decades include urbanization, the dependence on a dietary transition from one based on fresh local food to highly processed imported food, poverty, as well as probable genetic predisposition. Efforts by the Samoa Ministry of Health and partners to reverse the trend of obesity have mainly relied on behavior change strategies since the 1970s, with no clinical evidence of success. This study critically reviews current policies and strategic plans in Samoa to reduce the obesity problem and proposes that because of the contributing structural factors, the health sector alone cannot achieve its objective without matching multi-sectorial government initiatives.