Without tidy water, Pacific Islanders turn to sugary drinks. Solving this problem can reduce obesity

One against two Pacific Islanders are classified as overweight (with a body mass index of 25–29) or obese (BMI of 30 or more). This is a problem resulting from obesity increases risk conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

Although various factors contribute to obesity, circumscribed access to tidy drinking water plays a key role overlooked role. Without access to sheltered drinking water, many households may turn to sugary drinks instead. This type of substitution increases the risk of obesity.

Our new research examined how water insecurity on the Pacific island of Kiribati correlates with sugary drink consumption. We used survey data from over 2,000 households spread across 21 rural and urban islands to track residents’ water supplies and their consumption of sugary drinks such as cushioned drinks and juices.

Water insecurity is a grave problem in Kiribati, where households mainly drink unprotected groundwater (40%) and rainwater (28%).

We found that households using unprotected groundwater and rainwater drank 381-406 grams more of sugary drinks per week than those with access to piped water. For households struggling with lack of access to water, weekly water consumption is over 1.7 liters.

Dietary factors of obesity

Located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Republic of Kiribati consists of 33 low-lying islands (with an average height of 3 meters above sea level) and population from 133 thousand

The Kiribati archipelago spans a huge maritime area, bordering other Pacific countries such as the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu. This makes our results relatively generalizable to other enclaved countries and miniature island developing states in Micronesia.

Pacific Island households are already struggling with changes in diets brought on by globalization and urbanization. The conventional diet of fresh fish, root vegetables and local fruits has been partially replaced by processed foods and sugary drinks. These are products high in calories and have low nutritional value.

These dietary changes, combined with water insecurity, create an environment that increases health challenges and contributes to obesity.

What can you do about it?

Just one third of the population in Kiribati has access to a sheltered drinking water system.

The rest of the population relies on unprotected groundwater and rainwater. However, they cannot afford costly tank sets, filters and purification systems that remove harmful contaminants from the water, such as animal waste and chemicals. Locals are aware of these threats and are therefore looking for other options.

Improving access to tidy, sheltered drinking water can be a cost-effective public policy that reduces sugary drink consumption and addresses the broader public health challenge of obesity.

To achieve this goal, a number of interventions are needed, such as:

• providing households that depend on rainwater harvesting with access to sets of tanks, filters and treatment systems to remove harmful contaminants

• development of seawater desalination plants using tidy energy sources. This would improve access to tidy tap water, but comes at a significant cost

• taxing sweet drinks to limit their consumption. IN MexicoA 10% raise in the prices of sweetened drinks resulted in a decrease in their consumption by 11.6%.

Climate change will make the problem worse

Water insecurity in miniature island developing countries such as Kiribati is worsening climate change. Rising sea levels are polluting freshwater sources with salt, and more recurrent and severe droughts are straining already circumscribed resources.

These climate-related pressures are making it increasingly challenging for communities to access tidy drinking water, increasing reliance on sugary drinks.

This phenomenon is similar in countries with higher levels of import and consumption of sugary drinks, such as Niue, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Palau, but also in remote Australian indigenous communities for whom access to safe drinking water is not guaranteed and consumption of sweet drinks tall.

Addressing water insecurity and obesity together provides the opportunity to create sustainable solutions and build resilience to some of the adverse impacts that climate change may have on public health.