Publication Date

2022

Document Type

Article

Description

This study sought to determine the link between market integration based dietary choices and health among residents of Vanuatu. Surveys were collected among a cross section of the populations found on multiple islands among the archipelago. The participants came from distinct communities with various levels of development. They recalled the food they ate within a 24-hour period, which the surveyors recorded along with some photos that will be used to assess average servings. These surveys informed a list of commonly consumed foods which was enriched with nutritional minutiae collected from the USDA FoodData central database. A paper published in August of 2021 included a statistical analysis to quantify life-span impact of dietary choices (Stylianou et. al). The food from Vanuatu was then applied to the formula from Stylianou et. al. The results of this analysis confirmed our original hypothesis, that locally grown, traditional foods are beneficial, while imported, Western food is harmful to overall health. We have yet to analyze the overall health impact of differing levels of market integration however. This step will involve the analysis of different island populations within the archipelago. Higher access to ultra-processed foods is linked to all-cause mortality for much of the world’s adult population. To present this decline in health within a population as it is integrated into the market economy is our task.

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The Health Impact of Dietary Choices on Ni-Vanuatu

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