Pacific islands have world's highest obesity rate

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced the 10 most obese countries in the world. According to the figures, the world's most obese people are living in nine Pacific islands. Qatar is the only country on the list that is not a Pacific island. Between 35 and 50 percent of citizens living in these 10 countries are obese. Composed of 15 small islands in the South Pacific Ocean, the Cook Islands come first in the top 10. Fifty percent of people living on the Cook Islands are obese. Temo Waqanivalu, a WHO staff member, said the rate of obese people can reach 95 percent in certain parts of the region. Here is the list featuring the regions with the most obese people:

1. The Cook Islands, 2. Palau, 3. Nauru, 4. Samoa, 5. Tonga, 6. Niue, 7. Marshall Islands, 8. Qatar, 9. Kiribati, 10. Tuvalu

The reasons behind obesity in these islands are excessive consumption of fast food and exported food due to geographical constraints. According to the WHO report, people with less income have a greater chance of becoming obese. The report also underlined obesity can cause diabetes, heart diseases and poor blood circulation. Every two people in the Marshall Islands suffer from diabetes. It stressed the necessity to increase awareness raising studies on obesity and its negative effects. The WHO also suggested to lay a tax on food with excessive sugar content.