The World Health Organisation says Pacific countries can help reduce diabetes by introducing legislation which supports healthy lifestyles.
Today is World Diabetes Day and this year the WHO and its partner, the International Diabetes Federation , are pushing the theme of ''Diabetes Care for Everyone".
This comes as the director of the International Diabetes Institute at Melbourne's Monash University, Paul Zimmet, says escalating rates of the disease could wipe out Pacific and other populations.
The acting WHO representative in the south pacific, Steven Iddings, says that lifestyle interventions, like effective tobacco legislation, can reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes in high-risk populations by up to 58% in four to six years.
