Health in Tuvalu

As in much of Oceania, obesity is a major health issue in Tuvalu with 65% of men and 71% of women being overweight.^[1] In 2012 the birth rate on the islands was estimated at 23 per 1,000 people and life expectancy was 65.^[2]

The cuisine of Tuvalu is based on the staple of pulaka, taro, breadfruit, bananas and coconut and the many species of fish found in the ocean and lagoons of the atolls. The Tuvaluans benefited from the canned food supplied by the American forces during the Second World War, although the change in diet continued after the war, which resulted in long-term impacts on health. Tuvaluans adopted a diet that includes high levels of corned beef, rice and sugar, consumed even when fish and traditional vegetables are available.^[3] The change of diet to include more processed foods is believed to contribute to increasing levels of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases among Tuvaluans.^[4]