Islanders 'Unhealthy' And Trend Worsening

Not only are Pacific islanders unhealthy, they are actually dying early. This nutrition news revelation spells doom for the region's manpower base, an area already disadvantaged by geographic isolation.

Researchers are calling for immediate actions to be taken. But the lack of research in this field in economic terms has left them grappling with guesses on what this trend will eventually cost some of the islands nations. Researchers who agreed to speak to Islands Business on the issue are advocating a concerted multi-sectoral approach involving governments, civil societies and individuals.

Suva-based FijiCare Insurance managing director, Peter McPherson, has attributed the trend mainly to changing lifestyles. "From the evidence we have, if you are over 40 years, you may be unhealthy and the general health trend is terrible, especially for adults," McPherson warns. Although his study of the 300 deaths of policyholders in his company was conducted in Fiji, the trend he warns is regional.

While the Pacific's ability to preserve its tradition is commendable, some practices though can be contributing to the low health standards in islands nations.

Traditional diets like dalo and fresh fish are beginning to be replaced by rice and corned beef with a changing lifestyle increasingly featuring smoking and drinking.

"Even more frustrating is the fact that the killers are non-communicable diseases‹the highest amongst them being heart diseases, diabetes and cancer."

McPherson said while the world trend lists a life expectancy of 60 to 70 years, Fiji's 49 years is apparently reflective of the region. That (49.2) is absolutely staggering‹to have a working class people at an average death age of 49.2 is very, very low in modern standards,'' McPherson says.

Of the 300 cases, 63 percent could have been prevented. Only 48 females comprised the study but this could also be reflective of the low number of women insured. Of this 48, 27 or 54 percent died of cancer. Majority did not seek medical treatment until stage three of the cancer when it becomes difficult to treat.

Ethnically, of the 300 cases, 53 percent were Fijians, some 43 percent Indians, the remaining constituting other races. FijiCare counts amongst its clients the Fiji Military Forces, Telecom Fiji, Housing Authority and the Fiji Police Force.

Pacific Community's Noumea-based nutrition education and training officer Wendy Snowdown warns of a "complete economic collapse" if nothing is done to improve the current trends.

Both Snowdown and McPherson agree that education is the key to changing lifestyles and ensuring that the future generation is healthy.

As part of this, Snowdown conducted a weeklong nutrition workshop in Suva designed to assist islands countries develop policies to improve health standards. Five countries represented by senior government officials including agriculture, finance, national planning and legislators attended the workshop.

Participants discussed the economic implications of an unhealthy population. The workshop also heard that the cost of treating non-communicable diseases now constitute quite a large proportion of health ministry's spending. Estimates put hospital spending purely on non-communicable diseases between 20 to 30 percent. This, however, does not include financial losses in terms of a young population dying.

"The cost is very difficult to estimate but it's actually very great and if we don't act now, the situation will get bad."

Snowdown said policies on nutrition must be flexible enough for annual reviews to ensure authorities effectively evolve with changing lifestyles, an essential component of which is nutrition.

While a third of the islands nations have nutrition-related policies, others only have plans still awaiting implementation.

The lack of a multi-sectoral strategy until now is another area Pacific governments must improve. The media should also be made a partner in awareness campaigns.

Apart from islands' loss of manpower, an expected increase in insurance rates can be expected.

Financial institutions are expected to tighten their grip on existing loans and increase the benchmark for new ones.

"The rates may increase because of the risk of dying young is real, so insurers and even banks that loan money will have a good hard look at themselves,'' McPherson warns.