Health Educators in American Samoa are using "Nutrition Month" which has just got underway to spread the healthy eating message.
A study on non communicable diseases conducted in 2004 puts American Samoa among the top five Pacific island countries when it comes to obesity.
The Maternal Child Health Educator, Rosita Alailima Utu, says the numbers from the 2004 study give cause for concern:
"47.3 per cent of the population in our country are diabetic and 29.9 per cent of the adult population are regular smokers. Now the reason we are promoting this regular physical activity as well as nutrition, especially with nutrition month being in March, 93 point 5 per cent of the population are overweight and 74 point 6 per cent are obese."
