Fiji

The population of Fiji has been undergoing nutritional reconstruction for years. The Fiji plan of action constructed on July of 2010 was a full plan to help fight the nutritional issues of its population (1). It was constructed in need to prevent issues such as anemia in pregnant women and school children, infant and children malnutrition, obesity in adults, Iodine deficiency, and the overall rate of mortality.

Anemia is an issue that affects a persons mental and physical performance and makes every day life harder on an individual. Breastfeeding women are more susceptible to anemia due to the amount of blood loss during menstruation and increased blood supply demands during pregnancy (3). This condition can be hereditary or developed in certain cases due to poor diet. A good way to fight against Anemia is to include red meat two to three times a week to raise red blood cell counts.

Iodine Deficiency is another prevalent nutrition issue in Fiji. Iodine is an element important for the functioning of the thyroid hormone (2). Since Iodine is not produced in your body, it is needed in your diet thus inhibiting the thyroid hormone. Without Iodine included in our diets, people can develop an enlarged thyroid and issues such as goiter and hypothyroidism. Fiji has implemented the ban of non-iodized salt in hopes to decrease this deficiency.

The decrease in the consumption of locally grown produce has also been a noticed issue including the increase in cereals, flower products, and rice. While grains a still an important part of the diet, processed grains and the over consumption of them can lead to obesity and lack of other important nutrients (1).

One of the most important factors leading to Fiji’s nutritional issues is its lack of nutritional education and government intervention to fix these issues. With the poverty rate being over a quarter of the population, this means families don’t have the time or money to invest in the education of nutrition. Certain...