March 4 is World Obesity Day, which today affects more than a billion people worldwide. The populations of the Pacific and the Argentines are not at all spared, our correspondents on site report.
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According to a highly anticipated study published a few days ago, the prevalence of obesity has doubled among adults over the past 30 years and quadrupled among children. This dizzying increase is particularly marked in the Pacific zone, but also in Argentina, where the figures are alarming. In this country, a major producer of fruits and vegetables, nearly two out of three people are overweight or obese. It is also one of the countries with the highest level of overweight among children under 5 years old, with a rate of 12.6% according to a Unicef survey.
In the Pacific, fresh fish abandoned for inexpensive canned goods
In small countries in the Pacific region, such as Nauru, Samoa and the Tonga Islands, more than 60% of the population is obese. It is a massive phenomenon throughout the area, which is mainly explained by a change in eating habits over the last thirty years. We have basically gone from a diet which consisted mainly of fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, to imported and processed products, often very high in calories, very rich in salt, but very inexpensive, such as corned corn, for example. beef or spam (canned spicy ham).
We must understand that in these very isolated countries, away from major trade routes and where agricultural land is very limited, we have very little choice on the shelves, quality products are extremely rare and their prices very high. One of the main consequences is that in addition to obesity, these countries are also the most affected in the world by diabetes.
No French exception
To stop the phenomenon, 14 of the 22 countries in the region have increased their taxes on processed products in recent years, and some at the same time have lowered those on fruits and vegetables. But it will take time for these measures to start to take effect.
Note that there is no French exception in this matter. In French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia, more than 50% of adults are obese. The installation of gastric bands is much more widespread than in mainland France, where the prevalence of obesity is not only much lower but where it has fallen in recent years. In these territories too, we try to act with prevention and information actions on healthy eating. In Tahiti, the authorities are also counting on the Olympic Games and the organization of surfing events to develop sporting activities. New Caledonia definitively adopted at the end of last year a tax on sweet products that is much heavier than that applied in France on sodas.
In Argentina, “8-year-old children who weigh 60, 70, 80 kilos”
In Argentina, exactly 61.6% of the population is overweight, of which 25% suffer from obesity, according to the latest study carried out by the Ministry of Health in 2019. This disease, with serious consequences and which wreaks havoc, is spreads more in the provinces than in the capital, health professionals have noted in hospitals, intensive therapies and medical centers.
And in addition to adults, it also and especially affects children. “Many children come to see me with fatty liver disease and severe insulin resistance”, says Morena Fratesi, nutritionist. Most of his patients are children under 10 years old. “These are 8-year-old children who weigh 60, 70, 80 kilosshe describes. I believe the main cause has to do with the food industry, which sells products with addictive effects. And the other cause is the relationship we have with food. If a child is not good, he is deprived of dessert. If we take him to get vaccinated, we promise him an ice cream on the way out to console him. So we can relearn how to overcome our emotions without having to bury them with food.”
In a crisis context, public health is not a priority
Argentina is however known for its cuisine and is one of the main producers of fruits and vegetables in the world. Argentinians are fascinated by gastronomy but they cook very little. They produce 10 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables but only 6% eat five fruits and vegetables a day. At the same time, the supply of sweet products is flooding the shelves of supermarkets and even pharmacies which sell them by the checkout. In Buenos Aires, there are also 110,000 tobacco shops – one for every 400 inhabitants – whose displays are overflowing with candies, chocolate bars and those famous “alfajores”. These are a kind of large macaroon with chocolate and “dulce de leche” (dairy jam) that some people eat for breakfast.
Since 2021, the public authorities have introduced a law which requires manufacturers to display excess sugar and fat on their products. This helps raise awareness, but there are very few awareness campaigns. There is no food education at school and inflation is hitting the healthiest products hard. For Morena Fratesi, habits must be changed: “You must first look for the best price and buy real food, which is not sold in packages that cost moreshe advises. An “alfajor” costs around 1 euro. For the same price, you buy a kilo of fruit. So fewer packages, more real food and more basketball, because physical activity is fundamental. All of this is the best prevention.”
Today, in Argentina, obesity awareness is almost exclusively carried out on social networks by doctors or nutritionists like Morena Fratesi. In a context of economic crisis and political tensions for the Argentine government, obesity, its risks and its consequences for the future are not all considered a priority.