Identifying Factors of Obesity in Papua New Guinea: A Descriptive Study

Pus, Andrew; Moriyama, Michiko; Uno, Mariko; Rahman, Moshiur

doi:10.4236/health.2016.814158

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…A variety of studies have associated soft drink consumption with increased obesity rates among children and adults, including a recent study by Kessaram et al (2015) focusing on Pacific island youth. Benjamin (2007) and Pus et al (2016) echo this, both warning that overweight and obesity is a growing health concern in urban areas of PNG.…”

Section: Figure 5: Annual Value Of Processed Food Imports 2001 To 2016mentioning

confidence: 99%

Agri-food trade trends in Papua New Guinea: Reflections on COVID-19 policies and dietary change

Schmidt¹,

Fang²

2020

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The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has presented a unique challenge to governments across the globe, reinforcing the need to improve understanding of domestic and international trade trends to provide more informed options for policy response. Papua New Guinea's growing international trade in food and other agricultural products will continue to be important to overall food security outcomes among rural and urban households in the country. Rural households that produce key export cash-crops, such as coffee, cocoa, or palm oil, depend on the cash economy to supplement their food consumption, while urban households depend on rice and other agri-food imports, as well as domestic goods, for consumption. This project note focuses on trends in agrifood imports and exports during the last two decades to better evaluate potential changes in import demand and export potential for PNG. In doing so, it informs an upcoming economy-wide multi-market model analysis that will evaluate a variety of potential shocks to PNG's agri-food system on household welfare in order to identify policies to manage potential food security threats. The COVID-19 pandemic is one of many diverse shocks that may adversely affect the economy of PNG over the next decade. The expansion of a portfolio of organized databases, analytical tools, and policy resources, such as the multimarket model, is warranted to facilitate real-PAPUA NEW GUINEA PROJECT NOTE 05

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Section: Figure 5: Annual Value Of Processed Food Imports 2001 To 2016mentioning

confidence: 99%

Agri-food trade trends in Papua New Guinea: Reflections on COVID-19 policies and dietary change

Schmidt¹,

Fang²

2020

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“…Several analyses have evaluated overweight and obesity prevalence in PNG (see for example, Pus et al 2016 [ 37 ]), however there are no recent studies that evaluate the linkages of household consumption trends and child overweight / obesity prevalence. One of the most comprehensive evaluations of overweight and obese prevalence (among adults aged 15–64) in PNG was conducted more than a decade ago (2007/08) via the WHO STEPwise Approach to Surveillance of NCD Risk Factors (STEPS).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Papua New Guinea agri-food trade and household consumption trends point towards dietary change and increased overweight and obesity prevalence

Schmidt

Fang

2021

Global Health

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Background Papua New Guinea (PNG) experienced positive GDP growth at approximately 4.3% per year during the last decade. With increases in overall wealth within the country, PNG is facing a double burden of malnutrition: comparatively high child stunting rates and a growing overweight and obesity epidemic. We focus on the latter by evaluating trends in agri-food import data from 2001 to 2018 and household consumption data from 2018 and 2009/10. Results The analysis presented in this paper raises three red flags. First, international food import data suggest that the demand for ultra-processed, sugar-sweetened beverages and food have increased substantially over time in PNG. Sugar-sweetened beverages dominated the largest growth in processed food imports, increasing by 23% per capita per year between 2001 and 2018. Second, households across the country with a greater food expenditure on sugar-sweetened beverages have a higher probability of an overweight child (under 5 years old). Last, the probability of soft-drink consumption in PNG increases with greater income acquisition and improved market access. While the price of a soft drink is negatively correlated with the quantity consumed, analysis suggests that total household income has a quantitatively larger (and positive) association with soft drink consumption. Conclusions Taxing (or increasing taxes on) sugar-sweetened beverages may not be a sufficient policy mechanism to curb overconsumption of soft drinks in PNG. Education and advocacy programs should be fostered that integrate improved dietary information on packaging, as well as greater access to and understanding of nutrition and diet information of common household consumption items. While increases in household income and market access are crucial to economic growth and transformation, PNG’s economic transition must be dovetailed with programs that expand and enhance health and nutrition information and education to improve household consumption decisions and overall household wellbeing.

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“…As Osayomi (2019;1160) puts it, "an obese individual is frequently perceived to be well nourished, financially comfortable and erroneously assumed to live a stress-free life". In other words, a person with a slim frame is portrayed as being impoverished; terminally ill and without dignity (Osayomi and Orhiere, 2017;Pus et al 2016). In addition, the worldviews or social constructions among some racial/ethnic groups such as the Yoruba, Igbo and Efik of Nigeria, glorify large body size (Ibrahim and Jegede, 2017;Oe, 2009;Brink, 1989, Osayomi andOrhiere, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In faraway Papua New Guinea, fat people, based on traditions and cultural values, are socially acceptable because they are perceived to be healthy. In the same cultural context, being skinny confers little recognition (Pus et al 2016). In summary, being fat, to these cultural groups, is not a disease but evidence of good living.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Being fat is not a disease but a sign of good living”: The Political Economy of Overweight and Obesity in Nigeria

Osayomi

2020

Ghana J. Geography

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Increasing overweight and obesity rates have accompanied economic development in recent years. This twofold health issue has become increasingly worrisome and is currently receiving academic interest and government attention. A growing volume of studies has examined the demographic, socio economic, environmental and cultural risk factors of overweight and obesity in Nigeria where fatness is culturally revered. However, information on large scale factors associated with economic development shaping the geographical distribution of overweight and obesity is sparse. From the political economic standpoint, the central question of this paper is: ‘Does the spatial pattern of overweight and obesity correspond with the varying levels of economic development in Nigeria? The study relied on secondary data from published sources. Linear regression models were estimated to determine the impact of economic development variables on overweight and obesity. Results reveal that percent population with white collar jobs had a significant positive effect on overweight whereas poverty, gross domestic product (GDP) and degree of urbanization were significantly related to obesity. The paper concludes that the spatial patterns of overweight and obesity follow the pathways of economic development in Nigeria.

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Identifying Factors of Obesity in Papua New Guinea: A Descriptive Study

Cited by 7 publications

References 20 publications

Agri-food trade trends in Papua New Guinea: Reflections on COVID-19 policies and dietary change

Agri-food trade trends in Papua New Guinea: Reflections on COVID-19 policies and dietary change

Papua New Guinea agri-food trade and household consumption trends point towards dietary change and increased overweight and obesity prevalence

“Being fat is not a disease but a sign of good living”: The Political Economy of Overweight and Obesity in Nigeria

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