Peer-reviewed article
Diet, Fruit and Vegetable Intake, and Nutritional Status in Fiji: A Scoping Review.
Fusta Azupogo, Sonja Y Hess, Anasaini Moala Silatolu, Deanna K Olney ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This scoping review summarised scientific evidence on diet, fruit and vegetable intake, and nutritional status in Fiji from 2012 onwards. The review found that Fijians have shifted from traditional foods to processed, unhealthy foods with high salt intake and poor dietary diversity. Only about a quarter of adults and adolescents eat the recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables. Malnutrition affects children and adolescents across multiple forms: about 7% of children under five are stunted, 8% are overweight, and over 25% of adolescents are overweight or obese.
Key points
- Only a quarter of adults and adolescents consume the recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables
- Approximately 7% of children under-five were stunted and 8% were overweight
- At least 25% of adolescents were overweight or obese, while 10% were underweight
- Over 30% of adults were obese and at least 25% were overweight
- Overweight/obesity was higher in females and Indigenous Fijians; underweight was higher among Indo-Fijian adolescents
Limitations
This is a scoping review that synthesises existing published literature rather than conducting new primary research, so it can only reflect what has been studied and published. The review does not evaluate the effectiveness of any interventions to address these nutritional issues.
Abstract
Increasing fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake is essential for transitioning toward healthier, more sustainable diets. To design effective intervention programmes to promote F&V intake, it is crucial to understand intake levels and dietary patterns across different demographic groups as well as populations' nutritional status. We conducted a scoping review to summarise scientific evidence on the diet, F&V intake and nutritional status of the Fijian population. In January 2023, we searched PubMed for relevant literature. Studies were eligible if they were published in English since 2012 (for dietary intake and nutritional status) or since 2002 (for F&V) and met predefined inclusion criteria. We identified 163 articles reporting on diet, 47 on F&V intake and 95 on nutritional status. After further review and confirmation that articles met inclusion criteria, data were extracted from 16 articles on diet, 8 on F&V and 13 on nutritional status. The scoping review revealed a shift in Fiji from traditional foods to processed, unhealthy foods, high salt intake and poor dietary diversity. F&V intake was low, with only a quarter of adults and adolescents consuming the recommended daily servings. Approximately 7% of children under-five were stunted, and 8% were overweight. At least 25% of adolescents were overweight or obese, whereas 10% were underweight. Over 30% of adults were obese, and at least 25% were overweight. Overweight/obesity was higher in females and Indigenous Fijians; underweight higher among Indo-Fijian adolescents, especially males. Strengthening population-wide efforts to promote healthy lifestyles and dietary habits is crucial to address these issues.