What are the health problems related to the present diet and lifestyles in Pohnpei?
Diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers are serious nutritionally-related health problems in Pohnpei. These problems emerged, following the shift from traditional island foods to imported foods. Over half of Pohnpei children have vitamin A deficiency, increasing risk to infectious diseases, such as diarrhea, skin infections, pneumonia, and poor eyesight. This problem emerged in the late 1980s, and is also related to the shift towards imported foods. Anemia, or weak blood, is particularly common among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women and is related to the diet and parasitic infections.
