Abstract
BackgroundOverweight, obesity and their consequences are challenges to sustainable social and economic development in Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs). Complementing previous analyses for adults, the purpose of this paper is to synthesise available data on overweight, obesity and their risk factors in adolescents in the region. The resulting Pacific perspective for the younger generation will inform both the national and regional public health response to the crisis of noncommunicable diseases.MethodsWe examined the prevalence of overweight, obesity, physical activity and carbonated sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, by using published results of two cross-sectional surveys: the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) and the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). GSHS was conducted in ten PICTs between 2010 and 2013 and provided results for 13–15 year olds. YRBSS surveys, conducted repeatedly in five PICTs between 1999 and 2013, provided results for grade 9–12 students (approximately 14–18 years) and enabled examination of trends.ResultsObesity prevalence ranged from 0 % in female students in Vanuatu to 40 % in males in Niue (GSHS). Among grade 9–12 students (YRBSS), obesity was highest in American Samoa (40 % of males; 37 % of females). Approximately 60 % of students in the Cook Islands, Niue and Tonga (GSHS) and American Samoa (YRBSS), were overweight. In both surveys, less than half of students reported engaging in sixty minutes of physical activity on at least 5 days of the past week. Daily consumption of carbonated SSBs in the past month was reported by over 42 % of students in six PICTs (GSHS), and in the past week by more than 18 % of students in three PICTs (YRBSS). In PICTs conducting YRBSS, obesity prevalence remained high or increased within the period 1999–2013.ConclusionThere is a need for urgent action on overweight, obesity and their risk factors in Pacific youth. The multiple social, economic and physical determinants of this public health crisis must be addressed. This requires all sectors within government and society in PICTs to implement and evaluate policies that will protect and promote the health of their populations across the life course.
Highlights
Overweight, obesity and their consequences are challenges to sustainable social and economic development in Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs)
Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) has been conducted in ten PICTs, and Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) in five PICTs which are known as United States affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPIs)
Gender differences observed by YRBSS were less marked than in GSHS in which 13–15 year old females had a higher point prevalence of overweight in eight PICTs
Summary
Overweight, obesity and their consequences are challenges to sustainable social and economic development in Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs). The resulting Pacific perspective for the younger generation will inform both the national and regional public health response to the crisis of noncommunicable diseases. For over 60 years, 22 Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs), referred to here as the Pacific region, have worked together on issues of health and development, as members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community [1]. PICTs have declared a crisis of noncommunicable diseases (NCD) [3]. Increasing demand and reliance on processed foods may threaten local farming and fishing practices and the extensive opportunities for physical activity that these occupations provide. Urban living in the islands can be associated with lower levels of work and travel related physical activity [14]
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