Inkulumbuso Tonga U-Akilisi Pohiva ucele ezinye iintloko zamazwe ePacific ukuba zinciphise ukuze zibeke umzekelo olungileyo kubahlali bommandla we rotund. Wade wacebisa ukuba bangaseta ukhuphiswano lokunciphisa umzimba.
IPacific ilikhaya kwezona zinga liphezulu lokutyeba kunye nezifo ezingasuleliyo, kwaye uPohliva ucebise ukuba ukhuphiswano lube yinxalenye yeFacific Islands Forum, intlanganiso yamazwe azimeleyo kuLwandlekazi iPacific. Inkokheli yaseTonga icebise ukuba inkokeli nganye ibekwe esikalini kwintlanganiso yalo nyaka ngaphambi kokuba ibuye kunyaka olandelayo ukuze iphinde ilinganiswe.
"Ayisiyo eyokuba ngubani ophulukene neekhilo ezininzi, kodwa ukuze ususe ubunzima, kufuneka utye ukukhanya kwaye ukuba nesimo sengqondo esisempilweni kuya kuhamba ixesha elide," utshilo uPohiva, owayesakuba ngutitshala wesikolo, uxelele iSamoa Observer. "Nje ukuba iinkokeli zivumelane nolu hlobo lwengqondo ziya kuzimisela ukufumana abantu bazo bakwicala elifanayo kwaye bahambe ukusuka apho."
Ngokwe-World Health Organisation, umntwana omnye kwabahlanu nakwishumi elivisayo kumazwe ali-10 asePasifiki athathwa njengabantu abatyebe kakhulu, ngelixa olunye uphononongo lubonisa ukuba ama-40 ukuya kuma-70 ekhulwini abantwana abatyebe kakhulu baya kuba ngabantu abadala abatyebe kakhulu. I-WHO ibanga ukuxhaphaka kokutyeba kule ngingqi kuxhomekeke ekubuyiseleni ukutya kwemveli kunye nokutya okuthengisiwe ngaphakathi, okwenziweyo.
In Nauru, 61 percent of adults are obese. On the Cook Islands, the figure is 56 percent. Globally, around 12 percent of adults are classed as obese. The high rates of obesity in region has led life expectancy to drop while cases of diabetes and cardiovascular disease have risen.
U-Pohiva uvakalise ukothuka yimpembelelo embi yamaphulo azama ukujongana nomba ePacific kwaye wathi unethemba lokuba ukhuphiswano lokwehlisa ubunzima lunokuba ngumzekelo olungileyo wokuba abantu balandele.
"Izifo ezingasasazekiyo [amaqondo] kunye nokutyeba kwabantwana kunento yonke enokwenza nendlela yethu yokutya kunye nendlela esiphila ngayo kwaye ingumba onzima xa kufikwa kubantu bethu basePacific," utshilo.
"Kwaye neenkokheli zakwiziqithi zePacific, siyahlangana kwaye sithethe kwaye sithethe ngalo mba, kodwa amanyathelo okuqala enza lo mba awenzi mpembelelo… Kudala besikhuthaza umba ofanayo kule minyaka idlulileyo kodwa kubonakala ngathi awusebenzi."
