Pohnpei Nutrition Survey Looks at Foods and Health

by Dr. Lois Englberger

The Pohnpei Food and Nutrition Survey, an inter-agency project carried out February 16-20, 2004, in conjunction with the Child Health Screening Program, Tehkie Mahs, assessed dietary patterns, attitudes, and beliefs as they relate to health, in particular diabetes and vitamin A deficiency. The study was organized by Allison Corsi, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in conjunction with Pohnpei State Department of Health, FSM Health, Pohnpei Agriculture of the Office of Economic Affairs, Head Start, College of Micronesia-FSM Land Grant Program, and the Island Food Community of Pohnpei.

Rensper Liwy, Chairman of Child Find, who was organizing Tehkie Mahs, welcomed the nutrition study along with their other inter-agency sections: Pohnpei Special Education, Head Start Program, Department of Public Health, and College of Micronesia-FSM Land Grant.

The situation of dietary-related diseases in Pohnpei is serious. Among adults diabetes is spiraling; the national rate is estimated to be 20 percent in the age group between 45 and 55 years of age, whereas in the U.S. the rate is 7 percent. Over half of the under 5-year old Pohnpei children have been found to have vitamin A deficiency.

The dietary questions involved a recall of the frequency of days that selected foods were eaten in the last seven days, which should later allow the comparison of frequency of local foods with that of imported foods, such as rice. Also some focus was made on the proportion of locally grown foods in the diet and proportion of the family's money going on food, taste preferences, cooking patterns, whether nutrition information was received and from where, and the consumption and attitudes surrounding certain vitamin A-rich varieties of foods, such as Taiwang banana. The results will be used to better plan dietary improvement programs and to provide baseline data information for program work.

The interviewers and monitoring staff included: Ms. Yumiko Paul, Ms. Welsihter Hagilmai, Ms. Eunice Hedgar, Ms. Brenda Henry, Ms. Monalisa Benjamin, Ms. Drusihla Frank, Ms. Amy Levendusky, Ms. Allison Corsi, and Dr. Lois Englberger.

Funding support for the survey was provided by the Task Force Sight and Life, a humanitarian organization located in Basel, Switzerland.