Obesity and Diabetes in Pacific Islanders: the Current Burden and the Need for Urgent Action

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) now account for more than 36 million deaths each year; many of which are premature. Pacific Islanders are some of the worst afflicted by obesity and diabetes with prevalence of both diseases rising disproportionately faster in the Pacific region over the past three decades than in the rest of the world. A high burden of disease is also found among enclaves of Pacifican migrants in the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. Urgent action is needed to alleviate the high economic and personal costs now associated with NCDs in Pacific Islanders. In this article, we describe contributors to the temporal trends in obesity and diabetes, discuss the current burden of disease in the Pacific Islands and among migrant communities, and suggest priorities for future research in this area. Finally, we discuss challenges unique to intervention among Pacific Islanders and highlight promising opportunities to reduce the NCD burden.

Culturally responsive approaches to health promotion for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

“…Obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are interrelated cardiometabolic conditions that have reached epidemic proportions among Pacific Islander populations (Hawley and McGarvey 2015; Mau et al 2009), people with origins from the Pacific regions known as Melanesia (e.g., Fiji and Vanuatu), Polynesia (e.g., Hawai‘i, Sāmoa, and Tonga), and Micronesia (e.g., Chuuk and Guam). The highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the world are found in the Pacific Region (e.g., Nauru, American Sāmoa, and Vanuatu) (Chan et al 2014).…”

Factors that could explain the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes among adults in a Canadian province: a critical review and analysis

“…Because only type 2 diabetes population was of interest for this study and because it was not possible to differentiate the type of diabetes in the diabetes registry, only those ≥30 years of age at detection were included in the analysis, with no maximum age limit. This approach is used by the New Brunswick Department of Health for their provincial reports and has been used by other authors [6] since diabetes cases diagnosed before this age are more often type 1 diabetes [34]. Other data were obtained from the Canadian Census of Population, the Canadian Community Health Survey, the National Household Survey, the Labour Force Survey and the Income Statistics Division from Statistics Canada.…”

Social–ecological change and implications for food security in Funafuti, Tuvalu

“…Diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and cerebrovascular diseases have become common causes of premature death in the Pacific Islands and are commonest among people living in urban settings who have largely nontraditional diets. Pacific Islanders have some of the highest rates of diabetes and obesity in the world, with the prevalence of both diseases having risen disproportionately fast in this region over the past three decades (Hawley and McGarvey 2015).…”