While tabling the Health Department’s Annual Report for 2022-2023 at the Fono Ekepule recently, Minister of Health Hon. Sonya Talagi has encouraged everyone to take care of their health.
Hon Talagi highlighted a recent Lancet Report on global obesity rates that has placed Niue on the Top Ten fattest Countries in the World.
According to the study, Niue Women were placed on the 7th spot and Niue Men were on the 5th Spot.
Niue’s Head of Public Health-Grizelda Mokoia in response to this Report and on combating obesity on the island, states they have been out in the community promoting healthy food, nutrition,physical activity, tobacco, and alcohol awareness as these were the risk factors for NCDs to include Obesity.
Mokoia said they started off well, but then over time people got tired of them.
They also lost momentum because the majority of the initiatives were donor driven. Once the funds finished, the programs also lapsed.
The study released by Lancet shows that, in 2022, more than 1 billion people in the world are now living with obesity.
Worldwide, obesity among adults has more than doubled since 1990, and has quadrupled among children and adolescents from 5 to 19 years of age.