Riya Mala 
[File Photo]
Seven percent of five-year-olds in Fiji are still stunted, a sobering sign that too many children are not growing as they should during their most critical years.
UNICEF Nutrition Manager Penjani Kamudoni says that while stunting remains a concern, obesity has now become Fiji’s most widespread form of malnutrition.
She reveals that between 24 and 31 percent of children aged five to 19 are overweight across different age groups.
UNICEF stresses that all forms of malnutrition stem from poor-quality diets lacking essential nutrients.
“But I also have to say that while here we are speaking of a form, just because that’s what we are looking out to see, the underlying causes and issues are similar. They all have to do with food, either not being of the right type or not having adequate content required.”
Kamudoni adds that the issue is not just how much children eat, but the quality of their food, and warns that all forms of malnutrition are linked to weaknesses in Fiji’s food system.
“In Fiji, we do tend to see the issues of overweight and obesity getting worse. Still, the other forms of malnutrition cannot be ignored, and at the end of the day, they all center on issues related to food.”
UNICEF warns that childhood obesity is now the country’s most common and urgent nutrition crisis, mainly among children and adolescents, even as stunting and other forms of malnutrition continue to persist.
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