Fun facts about obesity: According to the World Health Organization, here are the top ten countries for adult obesity rates:
American Samoa
Nauru
Cook Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
Samoa
Palau
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Kuwait
Who knew that so many island paradises were insulin archipelagoes? The WHO calls obesity a world health crisis (which makes them part of the Nanny State to the righties, I assume.) All ten of the countries listed have adult obesity rates of AT LEAST 60 PERCENT. Muumuus must be popular -- I am trying to imagine the clothing stores. In the U.S., the obesity rate is 38%, with another 30% at overweight, and about 33% at normal BMI levels.
I was 40 to 50 pounds overweight from my late 20s to my mid-50s, and absolutely the only way out of it was to find the time, energy, and most of all fun level to establish an exercise regimen that I could stick with. In my case, it was water aerobics; I do a one-hour workout every other day. I was retired when I started my exercise kick, and I'm almost positive I couldn't have pulled it off if I'd still been working (as an elementary teacher.) My favorite moment after I'd been at the exercise for 6 months and had lost about 50# was an acquaintance coming up to me with concern and sympathy on her face and the words, "Have you been really ill?"
There was a news feature recently that childhood obesity rates have fallen a bit in the U.S. I hope that continues -- it's tragic to see obese kids and wonder if they'll see their mid-30s.
In the pacific islands, being overweight is seen as sexually attractive and highly desirable. In much the same way that having very pale skin (and a bit of extra weight) was seen as desirable in sixteenth century England. It's a look you can only get through genuine wealth - people who don't have to do hard labour are the only ones who can achieve it.
It makes things very difficult for chancers. You can maybe fool a father into letting you marry his daughter, if he thinks you are rich because you drive a flashy car and wear a Rolex; But maybe you hired the Ferrari, and maxed out your Mastercard to get the wristwatch. But having lifelong access to excess food, while not having to move around so fast as to burn it off, is much harder to fake.
This worked very well for centuries - if you turned up on any of the islands to trade, you could identify the king instantly, because he was five times the size of everyone else.
But then after WWII, the islands stopped being places where getting enough to eat was only achievable through hard labour. Cheap American calories became available to almost everyone. And of course, they all wanted to look like royalty.
In sixteenth century England, you could spread toxic paste onto your face to make yourself pale (like the Queen) rather than brown like a peasant, and therefore desirable. That it led to an early and painful death wasn't about to stop anyone.
Gorging on Spam is the pacific islander equivalent of that white mercuric makeup. When obesity is both desirable and easy to achieve, it's hardly surprising that you get a lot of it.