Temporal trends of food consumption patterns in Tuvalu under the context of climate change: COMmunity-based Behavior and Attitude survey in Tuvalu (COMBAT) since 2020

• Published in: Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.) Los Angeles County, Calif.), 2024-09, Vol.125, p.112488, Article 112488
• Main Authors: Lin, Po-Jen, Hershey, Maria Soledad, Lee, Tai-Lin (Irene), Shih, Chih-Wei, Tausi, Selotia, Sosene, Vine, Maani, Pauke P., Tupulaga, Malo, Hsu, Yu-Tien, Chang, Chia-Rui, Wu, Stephanie M., López-Gil, José Francisco, Tang, Lois I., Shiau, Shi-Chian, Lo, Yuan-Hung, Wei, Chih-Fu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; Attitudes; Climate change; Climate models; Climate prediction; Climatic data; Community-based; Consumption patterns; COVID-19; Epidemiology; Food consumption; Food insecurity; Food intake; Food security; Obesity; Prediction models; Secondary schools; Surveys; Trends; Tuvalu
• ISSN: 0899-9007; 1873-1244; 1873-1244
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2024.112488

•Tuvalu faces triple threats of obesity, climate change, and food insecurity.•The nutritional status, health and climate factors in Tuvalu are understudied.•Prevalence of obesity was consistently high in Tuvalu, while food consumption patterns varied between the two surveys.•Climate changes in Tuvalu predict increasing trends in temperature and sea level.•Precision public health interventions are needed within the context of the triple threat faced in Tuvalu. The aim of this study was to analyze temporal trends of food consumption patterns, attitudes, and health-related knowledge in Tuvalu, a small Pacific Island country facing the triple threat of obesity, climate change, and food insecurity. Two waves of the COMmunity-based Behavior and Attitude (COMBAT) survey were conducted in 2020 and 2022. Descriptive characteristics of changes in obesity proportion, food intake, and sociodemographic factors were assessed. Additionally, this study also integrates individual climate data utilizing satellite-based prediction models, and estimates historical temperature, precipitation, and sea level trends among all islands in Tuvalu. The study revealed a high obesity proportion among adults (69.5% in 2020, 73.2% in 2022) and an increase in the percentage of adolescents with a high waist circumference. Variations in food intake were also observed between the two waves of the survey. The data collected in the COMBAT study provides valuable insights for future epidemiological research to elucidate the associations and causal relationships between climate change, food security, and non-communicable diseases in Tuvalu.