Tackling Obesity and Diet-related Chronic Diseases

FAO

Tackling Obesity and Diet-related Chronic Diseases

Transforming food systems for health and wellbeing

Year of publication 2019

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2p.

Author FAO

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) Obesity and its associated non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a major contributor to adult disease and death. More and more people are becoming overweight and obese and growing numbers are dying from illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Driving this global shift in malnutrition and NCDs are unhealthy diets, physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour. Our food systems and food environments are not delivering the diets needed to promote and sustain optimum health. FAO is working with the public and private sectors to reform them – advising on and transforming the way food is produced, collected, stored, transported, processed and distributed – to improve diets and health and to address the impact on natural resources.

Language English

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In the past 20 to 30 years, accelerated changes to local food systems and dietary patterns in Fiji have contributed to rising rates of overweight and obesity. The rise in these forms of malnutrition has led to an increase in the incidence of a range of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, certain cancers, and cardiovascular diseases. NCDs are now behind over 80 percent of deaths in Fiji annually, generating a significant social and economic burden. This brief outlines one of the focus areas of a research project titled 'The role of diets and food systems in the prevention of obesity and non-communicable diseases in Fiji' on what diets can do to prevent overweight, obesity, and NCDs in Fiji.