SUVA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) Secretary General Dame Meg Taylor warned on Friday that Pacific Island states are not making an impact to reduce child obesity, which is worrying for the people living in the islands.
Taylor said the numbers are worrying with latest data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealing at least 20 percent of children between the ages of five and 19 were obese in 10 Forum member countries.
"The really worrying fact is that we are not making an impact, we've now got a problem that obesity in children is one of the biggest concerns," she said.
"If we have obese children, we have obese adults and diabetes rate will go in shock."
This is the reason behind subcommittees, currently meeting in the Samoa capital city of Apia to formulate an agenda for next month's Pacific Islands Forum (P.I.F.) Leaders Summit in Nauru. They agree that it should be put back on the agenda for the leaders'deliberations.
Taylor acknowledged that the different approaches that leaders adopted to address the issue within their respective states was their prerogative.
Obese children are more likely to develop a variety of health problems as adults, which includes cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, musculoskeletal disorders, some cancers and disability, according to the WHO.
