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PubMed2003

Marine and coastal environmental awareness building within the context of UNESCO's activities in Asia and the Pacific.

UNESCO is one of the specialized agencies under the United Nations charged with the advancement and improvement of education, social and natural sciences, culture and communication. This global mandate translates into programmes in the field tailored to the member states' specific requirements that build on the full breadth of expertise available in UNESCO. Environmental awareness building is an integral component of many of UNESCO's programmes. This paper describes how UNESCO addresses the need for awareness building in a variety of settings under different programmes and sectors. A first example is taken from the work of the education sector, which aims at introducing innovative learning methods and curricula that change or cultivate the perspective of people of all ages on sustainable development. The second example is taken from the Man and Biosphere Programme. The Biosphere Reserve concept has had a long history within UNESCO and is increasingly applied to protected areas in the coastal zone. Notable examples are Ranong Biosphere Reserve in Thailand, Can Gio Biosphere Reserve in Vietnam and the Island of Palawan in the Philippines. The concept is currently experiencing a revival as more and more countries realize the importance of striking a balance between human development and strict conservation. Many people know about UNESCO through the so-called World Heritage Sites. These are sites that are recognized by the world community as particular monuments, either natural or cultural, that warrant preservation for the whole of mankind. In the Asia-Pacific region, there are quite a number of coastal and marine sites that have been designated as natural world heritage sites, e.g. Halong Bay in Vietnam, the Komodo marine national park, Indonesia, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, East-Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands, and Tubbataha Reef in the Philippines. The need for a cross-sectoral approach is evident under the so-called Coastal Zone and Small Islands endeavour, which aims at assisting Member States towards environmentally sound, socially equitable and culturally appropriate development in coastal regions and in small islands. Four examples of current pilot projects (Surin Island, Thailand, Jakarta Bay, Indonesia, Upolo Island, Samoa and Ulugan Bay, the Philippines) are highlighted. Each setting and each audience requires a different strategy. UNESCO's strength is to learn from all these experiences and make such new insights universally available and to put novel concepts into practice.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Correction for water vapor in the measurement of atmospheric trace gases.

The presence of water vapor in a sample of air reduces the concentration of a trace gas measured from the sample. We present a methodology to correct for this effect for those cases when the concentration of the trace gas has already been measured from a wet sample. The conversion or correction factor that takes the wet mole fraction to a dry mole fraction is determined by the mixing ratio of water vapor inside the sampling canister. For those samples where the water vapor is saturated inside the canister, the water vapor mixing ratio is largely determined by laboratory conditions; for the unsaturated samples, the mixing ratio is determined by station conditions. If the meteorology at the sampling station is known, the equations presented here can be used directly to calculate the appropriate correction factor. For convenience, we use climatological data to derive average monthly correction factors for seven common global sampling sites: Barrow, AK, US (71 degrees N, 157degrees W); Cape Meares, OR, US (45 degrees N, 124 degrees W); Mauna Loa, HI, US (19 degrees N, 155 degrees W); Ragged Point, Barbados (13 degrees N, 59 degrees W); American Samoa (14 degrees S, 171 degrees W); Cape Grim, Tasmania, Australia (41 degrees S, 145 degrees E); South Pole (90 degrees S). These factors adjust wet mole fractions upwards within a range of 0.002% for the South Pole to over 0.8% for saturated sites. We apply the correction factors to wet nitrous oxide (N2O) mole fractions. The corrected data are more consistent with our understanding of N2O sources.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2006

Prevalence of intimate partner violence: findings from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence.

BACKGROUND: Violence against women is a serious human rights abuse and public health issue. Despite growing evidence of the size of the problem, current evidence comes largely from industrialised settings, and methodological differences limit the extent to which comparisons can be made between studies. We aimed to estimate the extent of physical and sexual intimate partner violence against women in 15 sites in ten countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Japan, Namibia, Peru, Samoa, Serbia and Montenegro, Thailand, and the United Republic of Tanzania. METHODS: Standardised population-based household surveys were done between 2000 and 2003. Women aged 15-49 years were interviewed and those who had ever had a male partner were asked in private about their experiences of physically and sexually violent and emotionally abusive acts. FINDINGS: 24,097 women completed interviews, with around 1500 interviews per site. The reported lifetime prevalence of physical or sexual partner violence, or both, varied from 15% to 71%, with two sites having a prevalence of less than 25%, seven between 25% and 50%, and six between 50% and 75%. Between 4% and 54% of respondents reported physical or sexual partner violence, or both, in the past year. Men who were more controlling were more likely to be violent against their partners. In all but one setting women were at far greater risk of physical or sexual violence by a partner than from violence by other people. INTERPRETATION: The findings confirm that physical and sexual partner violence against women is widespread. The variation in prevalence within and between settings highlights that this violence in not inevitable, and must be addressed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Cancer research studies in Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

PURPOSE: To review and assess published findings from relevant cancer research studies in Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders and to develop strategies for designing and implementing successful cancer research studies in the future. METHODS: Data were collected primarily from MEDLINE and BIOSIS Preview searches of the English literature during a 30-year period for published reports of cancer surveillance studies and epidemiological and clinical cancer studies in the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations. The cancer burden was critically assessed in the retrieved citations for each of the indigenous groups from Hawai'i, American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. RESULTS: A review of the published literature revealed a lack of systematic data collection on cancer incidence and mortality in Pacific Islanders. Wide variations were found regarding the status of cancer research among ethnic groups. It is estimated that Native Hawaiians represent 0.1% of subjects accrued to cancer prevention trials, and that Pacific Islanders represent 0.5% of subjects in a large cancer screening trial. CONCLUSION: The paucity of cancer data and clinical cancer research supports the need for increased attention to these indigenous populations to improve the quality of cancer care in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Island communities.

Ethnicity↗
PubMed2003

Emergence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in Queensland, Australia.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence and epidemiology of non-multiresistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (nmMRSA) infection in south-east Queensland, Australia. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective survey was done of hospital records of all patients who had non-multiresistant MRSA isolated at Ipswich Hospital (a 250-bed general hospital, 40 km south-west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) between March 2000 and June 2001. Laboratory typing of these isolates was done with antibiogram, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, bacteriophage typing and coagulase gene typing. RESULTS: There were 44 infections caused by nmMRSA. Seventeen infections (39%) occurred in patients from the south-west Pacific Islands (predominantly Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand). Laboratory typing showed that the isolates in Pacific Islanders were Pacific Island strains, and 16/17 of these infections were community acquired. Twenty-three infections (52%) occurred in Caucasians. Eleven of the isolates from Caucasians (48%) were a new predominantly community-acquired strain that we have termed the 'R' pulsotype, nine (39%) were Pacific Island strains, and three (13%) were health care institution-associated strains. Four infections occurred in patients who were not Caucasians or Pacific Islanders. Overall, 34 of all 44 infections (77%) were community acquired. CONCLUSIONS: Non-multiresistant MRSA infection, relatively frequently observed in Pacific Islanders in south-east Queensland, is now a risk for Caucasians as well, and is usually community acquired. Clinicians should consider taking microbiological specimens for culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing in patients with suspected staphylococcal infections who are not responding to empirical therapy with beta-lactam antibiotics.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Genetic analyses of several Drosophila ananassae-complex species show a low-frequency major gene for parthenogenesis that maps to chromosome 2.

Parthenogenetic strains of several species have been found in the genus Drosophila. The mode of diploidization in the eggs of females has been found to be post-meiotic nuclear fusion. The genetic basis for this parthenogenesis is not understood but is believed to be under the control of a complex polygenic system. We found parthenogenetic females in an isofemale strain (LAE345) of D. pallidosa-like collected in 1981 at Lae, Papua New Guinea, and established a parthenogenetically reproducing strain. Parthenogenetic strains of D. ananassae and D. pallidosa collected at Taputimu, American Samoa had also been established by Futch (1972). D. ananassae, D. pallidosa and D. pallidosa-like are very closely related species belonging to the ananassae complex of the ananassae species subgroup of the melanogaster species group. Using these three species, we found that more than 80% of females from parthenogenetic strains produced progeny parthenogenetically and that inter-specific hybrid females also produced impaternate progeny. In the present report, we demonstrate that the mode of parthenogenesis of D. ananassae appears to be the post-meiotic nuclear doubling of a single meiotic product, and that a major gene responsible for the parthenogenesis maps to the left arm of the second chromosome of D. ananassae. We also suggest that the genetic basis for parthenogenesis capacity may be identical among the three closely related species. We discuss the function of the gene required for parthenogenesis and its significance for the evolutionary process.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

A decade of community MRSA in New Zealand.

In 1992, isolates with a distinctive phage pattern were identified amongst the 186 MRSA recovered in New Zealand. These unusual isolates were recovered in the Auckland region from individuals who came from or had visited Western Samoa, and were called Western Samoan phage pattern (WSPP) MRSA. They were almost exclusively community based and were mainly responsible for the alarming 15-fold increase in MRSA seen in New Zealand over the next 6 years. Since 2000, the number of infections attributable to WSPP MRSA appears to be declining. WSPP isolates are clonal, possess a unique type IV SCC mec element, and a distinctive multilocus sequence allelic profile (ST30). WSPP isolates are invariably not multiresistant with methicillin MICs generally <or=32 microg/ml. Virulence of the WSPP clone appears to be related to its adhesive and consistent toxin- (e.g. Panton-Valentine leukocidin, alpha- and gamma-haemolysins) producing capabilities. Isolates are most frequently associated with cutaneous lesions in younger age groups. Since 1998, MRSA isolates belonging to the UK-derived EMRSA-15 strain (also type IV SCC mec) have continued to increase in New Zealand, and together with WSPP, these strains now dominate MRSA isolations in New Zealand.

Community-Acquired Infections↗
PubMed2006

Determination of kavalactones in dried kava (Piper methysticum) powder using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy and partial least-squares regression.

Kava (Piper methysticum Forst F.), or àwa in the Hawaiian language, has been used for thousands of years by the people of the South Pacific Islands, in particular Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Samoa, for social and ceremonial occasions. Kava has the unique ability to promote a state of relaxation without the loss of mental alertness. Kava recently became part of the herbal pharmacopoeia throughout the United States and Europe because of its anxiolytic properties. The active compounds are collectively called kavalactones (or kava pyrones). The need for a less time-consuming and costly method to determine the concentration of kavalactones in dried kava is urgent. The combination of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) and partial least-squares (PLS) methods has been found to be a convenient, versatile, and rapid analytical tool for determination of kavalactones in dried kava powder. Calibration equations were developed based on the analyses of 110 samples with variable physical and chemical properties collected over time from Hawaii kava growers and validated by analyses of a set of 12 samples with unknown kavalactones concentration. All six major kavalactones and the total kavalactones were measured using NIRS with accuracy acceptable for commercial use. The NIRS measurements are reproducible and have a repeatability on a par with HPLC methods.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed2003

Species of Stephanostomum Looss, 1899 (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae) from fishes of Australian and South Pacific waters, including five new species.

Nine species of Stephanostomum are described from Australian and Southern Pacific marine fishes: Stephanostomum madhaviae n. sp. [syn. S. orientalis of Madhavi (1976)] from Caranx ignobilis, off Hope Island, Queensland, with 30-34 circum-oral spines and vitelline fields almost reaching to the posterior extremity of the cirrus-sac; S. bicoronatum (Stossich, 1883) from Argyrosomus hololepidotus, off Southport Broadwater, Queensland; S. votonimoli n. sp. from Scomberoides lysan, off Moorea, French Polynesia (type-locality) and Western Samoa, with 33-38 circum-oral spines, a uroproct and the vitelline fields not reaching the cirrus-sac; S. nyoomwa n. sp. from Caranx sexfasciatus, off Heron Island, Queensland, with 33-38 circum-oral spines, a uroproct and the vitelline fields reaching the cirrus-sac; S. cobia n. sp. from Rachycentron canadum, off Heron Island, with 36 circum-oral spines, a uroproct and the vitelline fields reaching the cirrus-sac; S. petimba Yamaguti, 1970 from Seriola hippos, off Rottnest Island, Western Australia; S. pacificum (Yamaguti, 1951) from Pseudocaranx wrighti, off Fremantle, Western Australia; S. aaravi n. sp. from Lethrinus miniatus, off Heron Island, with 36-39 circum-oral spines, probably a uroproct and the vitelline fields reaching the ventral sucker; S. pagrosomi (Yamaguti, 1939) from L. nebulosus, L. miniatus and L. atkinsoni off Heron Island, Pagrus auratus, off Rottnest Island, Western Australia and Gymnocranius audleyi, off Heron Island. A digest of described species of Stephanostomum is included as an appendix.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Ross River virus genetic variants in Australia and the Pacific Islands.

HaeIII and TaqI restriction digest profiles of cDNA to infected cell RNA or virion RNA were used as a guide to genetic relationships between fourteen isolates of Ross River virus (RRV) obtained from mosquitoes collected in various localities in eastern Australia where the virus is endemic. RRV isolates from Fiji, American Samoa, the Cook Islands and the Wallis Islands where major outbreaks of epidemic polyarthritis took place in 1979-1980 were also examined. Among these RRV isolates we have identified three genetic types (I-III) on the basis of differences between their restriction digest profiles. We estimate that 1.5-5% nucleotide sequence diversity exists between genetic types. Within each genetic type strain differentiation gave rise to small but significant differences in restriction digest profiles. No clear pattern of geographic distribution of RRV genetic types could be established from the limited number of RRV isolates examined. Genetic types I, II and III, respectively, were isolated from three, three and one different mosquito species, indicating there is no strong association between genetic type and the species of mosquito vector. HaeIII restriction digest analysis did not detect any genetic difference between the four Pacific Island isolates, suggesting that a single RRV variant was involved in the epidemics. Genetically, this variant was closely related to isolates of genetic type II. Virtually identical HaeIII restriction digest profiles were observed for isolates obtained at various stages of the Pacific Island epidemics, suggesting that extensive sequence evolution did not accompany Ross River virus spread.

Alphavirus↗
PubMed1999

Towards understanding the origin and dispersal of Austronesians in the Solomon Sea: HLA class II polymorphism in eight distinct populations of Asia-Oceania.

HLA class II nucleotide sequence polymorphisms were examined in eight ethnic groups of Asia-Oceania using DNA typing methods. Allele frequencies and characteristic DR/DQ haplotypes were determined and compared with those of other populations of Asia-Oceania. Genetic distances were measured to show the genetic relationship within the studied populations as well as between the studied populations and previously published populations. Phylogenetic trees were constructed based on HLA allele frequencies using the neighbour-joining method. The populations, mainly Trobriand Islanders, Roro, Tolai, Western Samoans and Taiwanese Aborigines, are characterized by a reduced diversity at the HLA loci examined, especially for DPB1. The high frequency of the 'Asian'-specific DPB1*0501 allele in Trobrianders and Roro, but also in Western Samoans and Taiwanese Aborigines, was the most striking result. The prevalence of DPB1*0501 and the short genetic distance from Trobriander and Roro to Taiwanese Aborigines provide evidence that the origin of the Austronesian odyssey is south-east Asia, and Taiwan could be an important part of it. The relatedness of Trobrianders to the Polynesian population from Western Samoa indicates a probable recent common ancestor. The observed lack of diversity may reflect bottleneck(s) and/or limited diversity of the founding population. Analysis of HLA class I antigens, together with mt-DNA and Y-chromosomal studies, will give us further information about the settlement of the Trobriand and other islands during the colonization of the Pacific.

Alleles↗
PubMed1992

[Alfred Th. Leber (1881-1954): a pioneer in tropical ophthalmology. Missing in the South Seas--rediscovered in India].

In spite of the brief duration of German colonial rule during that period tropical medicine enjoyed a remarkable growth and development. This is the first account of the career of the pioneer of tropical ophthalmology, Alfred Theodor Leber (1881-1954); medical history had previously reported him missing in Java after the 1st world war. His career was greatly influenced by his uncle, Theodor Leber (1840-1917), the founder of experimental ophthalmology. Alfred Leber was the one who combined teaching and research in the subjects of ophthalmology and tropical medicine. During his first expedition as a private lecturer together with von Prowazek in Samoa (1910-1911), he discovered the involvement of the eye in filarial infections with Wuchereria bancrofti (Lebers fundus). In consideration of his extraordinary work he was appointed professor at the young age of 33. After his training at the eye clinic at Berlin University under von Michel he worked as senior physician with von Hippel in Göttingen. Both Ludwig Külz and the famous painter Emil Nolde joined him on his second expedition, to New Guinea, in 1913. During his expedition in summer 1914 World War I broke out. Leber could not return to Germany. He stayed in the neutral Dutch East Indies during these years. Favoured by the ravages of war, British and Australian authorities (Military Intelligence, War Office, Defence) succeeded in seizing some of Leber's research reports and kept them under lock and key. The "Leber-Külz medical demographic New Guinea expedition on behalf of the Reich's Colonial Office" was therefore known to the public only as "Emil Nolde's travels in the South Seas".(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Germany↗
PubMed2004

Origins and dispersals of Pacific peoples: evidence from mtDNA phylogenies of the Pacific rat.

The human settlement of the Pacific in general, and the origin of the Polynesians in particular, have been topics of debate for over two centuries. Polynesian origins are most immediately traced to people who arrived in the Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa region approximately 3,000 B.P. and are clearly associated with the Lapita Cultural Complex. Although this scenario of the immediate origins of the Polynesians is generally accepted, the debate on the ultimate origin of the Polynesians and the Lapita cultural complex continues. Our previous research has shown that analyses of mtDNA variation in the Pacific rat (Rattus exulans), often transported as a food item in the colonizing canoes, are valuable for tracing prehistoric human migration within Polynesia. Here we present mtDNA phylogenies based on approximately 240 base pairs of the d-loop from both archaeological and modern samples collected from Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific. We identify three major haplogroups, two of which occur in the Pacific. Comparing our results with Lapita models of Oceanic settlement, we are able to reject two often cited but simplistic models, finding support instead for multifaceted models incorporating a more complex view of the Lapita intrusion. This study is unique and valuable in that R. exulans is the only organism associated with the Lapita dispersal for which there are sufficient ancient and extant populations available for genetic analysis. By tracking population changes through time, we can understand more fully the settlement process and population interactions in both Near and Remote Oceania.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Riding the Ice Age El Nino? Pacific biogeography and evolution of Metrosideros subg. Metrosideros (Myrtaceae) inferred from nuclear ribosomal DNA.

Metrosideros subg. Metrosideros (Myrtaceae) comprises approximately 26 species distributed widely across the Pacific basin. They occur on the ancient Gondwanan landmasses of New Zealand and New Caledonia, as well as on the volcanic islands of the remote Pacific, from Melanesia to tropical Polynesia and the Bonin Island. Phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear ribosomal DNA spacer sequences from all named species showed Metrosideros umbellata of New Zealand as basal in the subgenus, with the remaining species falling into three monophyletic clades. One includes the seven New Caledonian species together with three daughters in western Oceania that probably dispersed during the mid/late Tertiary. A second contains six taxa located in east Melanesia and Samoa that may also have arisen from a mid/late Tertiary dispersal, in this instance from New Zealand. The third includes three New Zealand endemics along with all of the taxa in remote Polynesia and accounts for much of the total range of the subgenus. These dispersed taxa in Polynesia either are identical to the New Zealand species Metrosideros excelsa or differ by a single nucleotide change. We suggest that they are all derived from a Pleistocene dispersal out of New Zealand. A relatively recent dispersal is surprising, given that this wind-dispersed genus has occupied New Zealand for much of the Tertiary and that some of the islands in remote Polynesia date to at least the Miocene. We attribute this dramatic range expansion to climate change-specifically changes in wind flow patterns-in the southern hemisphere during worldwide glaciation.

Base Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic studies of PGM1 subtypes: population data from the Asian-Pacific area.

The distribution of PGM1 phenotypes from persons belonging to various ethnic groups in the Asian-Pacific area has been analysed using isoelectric focusing (I.E.F.) in 0 X 35 mm thick polyacrylamide gels pH 5-7. Comparison of the four common allotype frequencies indicates well-marked differences in their distribution. The PGM 1*1+allotype frequency varies from 43 to 77% in Western Samoa and Port Moresby, respectively. Melanesians from Papua New Guinea and Fiji, Aborigines from central Australia and Indonesians from the Lesser Sunda islands have higher frequencies of the PGM1*1-allotypes (21-25%), whereas east Asians and Indian populations have approximately half this frequency. Indian populations are distinctive in having higher frequencies of the PGM1*2+ allotype (22-31%). However, the lowest values (2%) are recorded in Micronesians. The Polynesians, except for Cook Islanders, are characterized by having the highest frequencies (23%) of the PGM1*2-allotype. These values are in contrast to the Papua New Guineans and Australian Aborigines where the PGM1*2-allotype reaches minimum values of approximately 1%. A new PGM1*7 Delhi allotype which we recently detected in Delhi, north India, has been found with polymorphic frequency in Madras, south India. The allotype frequencies have been used for genetic distance analysis to demonstrate the genetic affinities between the populations studied.

Asia↗
PubMed2006

Illicit drug use and responses in six Pacific Island countries.

We report here on the illicit drug situation in six Pacific nations: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The report is based on the 'Situational analysis of illicit drug issues and responses in Asia and the Pacific', commissioned by the Australian National Council on Drugs Asia Pacific Drug Issues Committee. The situational analysis was a comprehensive desk-based review; data sources included published and unpublished literature and information from key informants. A range of psychoactive substances have been used traditionally across the Pacific region. Cannabis is the by far the most common and widespread illicit drug used in the six Pacific Islands reviewed. Drugs such as heroin, methamphetamines and cocaine are not used commonly due to their high cost compared to the average income. Currently, there is no overall regional or country-based illicit drug policy for the Pacific and few treatment programs; limited data exist to aid in understanding illicit drug use and the harms associated with its use in the Pacific. This review highlights the urgent need for strategic alcohol and drug research in the Pacific as a foundation for the development of policy.

Criminal Law↗
PubMed1997

Alcohol in the South Pacific: the mid-1990s.

In the mid-1990s data were obtained on alcohol consumption in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, the Solomon Islands and Tonga. These data are reported together with a discussion of the nature of alcohol related problems in the island nations. Per capita consumption is highest in the Cook Islands, which compared with other countries has the highest ratio of liquor outlets and lowest alcohol taxation regime. As an alcohol problem prevention measure, it is concluded that the promotion of responsible consumption, together with the option of abstinence for those who wish it, is an acceptable strategy for the Pacific.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Age differences in physique of adult males aged 30 to 86 years in Rarotonga, the Cook Islands.

In the Pacific Region, some adult populations have shown a steady rise in overweight and obesity across the 1970s and into the 1990s. While younger adults have been shown to have lower body mass index (BMI) than older ones in both the least and most modernised Samoan populations, among intermediately modernised Samoan populations, BMI has been found to be higher in younger adults than in older ones. A survey in the Cook Islands carried out in 1966 showed no age group differences in height, weight and BMI among adult males, but significantly higher mean weight and BMI among adult males aged 30 years and above. The present analysis gives mean height, weight, BMI and skinfolds of adult males above 30 years of age on Rarotonga in 1996, and examines whether the BMI-age group relationship now shows a similar transitional pattern to that observed on American Samoa. In addition, the 1996 values are compared with values obtained in 1986, to determine whether changes in physique have taken place across this time. In the 1996 volunteer sample of 142 male Cook Islanders, older adults are significantly shorter, lighter, with lower BMI than younger adults. Furthermore, the younger adults of the 1996 survey are significantly heavier, with greater BMI than the 1986 sample. This suggests that the adult male Rarotongan population is in an intermediate position with respect to lifestyle transition, the secular trend in body size and increasing prevalence of obesity, and that there has been a rapid increase in body fatness prevalence among younger adults.

Adult↗