United Nations, Jul 17 (UNI) Obesity among populations of small island developing States is a health emergency made worse by climate change, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said.
According to the agency, one-in-two adults is obese in many small island communities in Polynesia and Micronesia, while on average, obesity levels in people from small island States are 60 per cent higher than elsewhere.
Citing climate change as a key factor in degraded land and ocean resources, FAO believes that this has led to dependence on imported foods that are “ultra-high” in salt, sugar and fat – and “extremely high levels of overweight and obesity".