Against the Tide of Change: Diet and Health in the Pacific Islands

Hughes, Robert; Marks, Geoffrey C.

doi:10.1016/j.jada.2009.07.015

Cited by 22 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Vanuatu displays a double burden of diet-related disease, which is consistent with other Pacific Islands [ 6 - 8 ]. Children are affected by underweight, stunting and as well as micronutrient deficiencies, with the latter also prevalent in women of reproductive age [ 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…In Vanuatu, the rural population is over seven times more likely than those living in urban areas to consume local foods every day [ 17 ], and consumption of imported processed foods is more common in urban areas [ 17 , 18 ]. Throughout the Pacific Islands, eating patterns have shifted from the traditional diet of nutrient dense local foods to one high in energy dense, processed, imported foods [ 8 ]. The reduced availability of agricultural land related to urbanisation is thought to have contributed to this issue [ 19 , 20 ] and access to land is considered an indicator of food security in Vanuatu [ 21 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A cross-sectional analysis of the cost and affordability of achieving recommended intakes of non-starchy fruits and vegetables in the capital of Vanuatu

Jones

Charlton

2015

BMC Public Health

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BackgroundThe low-income Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu is experiencing a double burden of diet-related disease whereby micronutrient deficiencies and underweight occur at the same time as obesity related non-communicable diseases. Increasing intakes of nutrient dense, energy dilute foods such as fruits and vegetables will be important to address this issue. However, reduced access to agricultural land in urban areas provides limited opportunities for traditional subsistence fruit and vegetable production. Set in Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital and main urban centre, this study aimed to determine the cost and affordability of meeting international recommendations to consume at least 400 g of non-starchy fruits and vegetables (NSFV) per person per day, and assess the adequacy of households’ NSFV expenditure.MethodsNSFV prices from the 2010 Vanuatu Consumer Price Index (n = 56) were used to determine the minimum monthly cost of purchasing 400 g of local NSFV per person, after accounting for wastage. The 2010 Vanuatu Household Income and Expenditure Survey (n = 578 households) was analysed to determine the proportion of households’ total and food budget required to purchase 400 g of local NSFV for all household members. Household NSFV costs were also compared against actual household expenditure on these items. Consumption of own-produce and gifts received were included within estimates of food expenditure.ResultsThe minimum cost of purchasing the recommended amount of local NSFV was 1,486.24 vatu ($16.60 US) per person per month. This level of expenditure would require an average of 9.6% (SD 6.4%) of households’ total budget and 26.3% (SD 25.8%) of their food budget. The poorest households would need to allocate 40.9% (SD 34.3%) of their total food budget to NSFV to purchase recommended amounts of these foods. Twenty-one percent of households recorded sufficient NSFV expenditure while 23.4% recorded less than 10% of the expenditure required to meet the NSFV recommendations.ConclusionsAchieving recommended intakes of local NSFV in Port Vila is largely unaffordable, and expenditure on these foods was inadequate for most households in Port Vila in 2010. Addressing fruit and vegetable affordability will be an important consideration in prevention of non-communicable diseases in the Pacific region.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cross-sectional analysis of the cost and affordability of achieving recommended intakes of non-starchy fruits and vegetables in the capital of Vanuatu

Jones

Charlton

2015

BMC Public Health

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“…Globalization and urbanization have for example had a major influence on nutrition, eating habits, and lifestyle in the South Pacific (Hughes and Marks, 2009; Siefkenm et al, 2012). There have been significant changes in food production, processing, storage, and distribution, possibly also contributing to the epidemic of metabolic disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Blood Informative Transcripts in Geographical Genomics: Impact of Lifestyle on Gene Expression in Fijians

Nath¹,

Arafat²,

Gibson³

2012

Front. Gene.

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In previous geographical genomics studies of the impact of lifestyle on gene expression inferred from microarray analysis of peripheral blood samples, we described the complex influences of culture, ethnicity, and gender in Morocco, and of pregnancy in Brisbane. Here we describe the use of nanofluidic Fluidigm quantitative RT-PCR arrays targeted at a set of 96 transcripts that are broadly informative of the major axes of immune gene expression, to explore the population structure of transcription in Fiji. As in Morocco, major differences are seen between the peripheral blood transcriptomes of rural villagers and residents of the capital city, Suva. The effect is much greater in Indian villages than in Melanesian highlanders and appears to be similar with respect to the nature of at least two axes of variation. Gender differences are much smaller than ethnicity or lifestyle effects. Body mass index is shown to associate with one of the axes as it does in Atlanta and Brisbane, establishing a link between the epidemiological transition of human metabolic disease, and gene expression profiles.

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“…Some body image studies have revealed that "average-sized" not obese bodies are considered generally the most desirable by both Pacific Islander adults and adolescents (Teevale, 2011), while others have demonstrated satisfaction with above average BMI, the latter in part a result of less emphasis on body size than on other aspects of life that are considered more important (Kirk, 2008). The traditional agricultural and fishing livelihoods of Pacific Islanders demanded moderate to high caloric intake, which was supplied by a diet of nutrient-dense root foods, such as taro and yams complemented by fish, pork, chicken, ocean vegetables, and a variety of island fruits (Hughes & Marks, 2009).…”

Section: Overweight/obesitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Pacific Islander Health and Disease: An Overview

Palmer¹

2015

Health Promotion in Multicultural Populations: A Handbook for Practitioners and Students

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Against the Tide of Change: Diet and Health in the Pacific Islands

Cited by 22 publications

References 17 publications

A cross-sectional analysis of the cost and affordability of achieving recommended intakes of non-starchy fruits and vegetables in the capital of Vanuatu

A cross-sectional analysis of the cost and affordability of achieving recommended intakes of non-starchy fruits and vegetables in the capital of Vanuatu

Using Blood Informative Transcripts in Geographical Genomics: Impact of Lifestyle on Gene Expression in Fijians

Pacific Islander Health and Disease: An Overview

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