Lifestyle diseases affecting Papua New Guineas

Lifestyle disease is the fastest growing health issues in Papua New Guinea. The country is experiencing a new trend of medical conditions arising as a result of t pushing the limited health system into the corner.

Why most Papua New Guineans are dying from lifestyle diseases? 

The country is at the transitional period-moving away from the traditional way of lifestyle to westernize lifestyle. The modern generations are doing away with garden foods and resorting to process foodstuff

The 80% of the nation’s populations are in the rural area. Many of these people also now give up the garden work or work on the land.

Many of the rural people are growing cash crops for family demand and also for family income. Some of these ended up in the main markets in Lae, Port Moresby, Madang, Rabaul, Goroka, Hagen (etc.), yet the people are not eating more garden foods that are healthier.

Many of our people are uneducated about the kind of food that is sold at the market, especially soft drink like Coke, Pepsi, cordial, cake, white rice, beer, sugar, white bread and so on. These foods contain lots of sugar and salt that affect their health. 

Papua New Guinea is becoming a dumping ground for junk foodstuffs such as fatty beef flaps, pork, poultry skins, saturated vegetable oils, such as coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil or dairy products made from whole or reduced-fat milk. These food increase accumulation of cholesterol in the circulatory system that may lead to heart diseases like stroke, and heart attack.

No Excuse Period 

Many of our modern local markets are flooded with locally growth foodstuff. They are all organic. There is no reason why many Papua New Guineans are suffering from lifestyle disease and dying from them.

Basing on the interviews conducted, many Papua New Guineans are lacking health education. People need health education so that people can change their lifestyle and live a good and healthy life.

Their lots of veggies and fruits, they’re organic yet people are going for processed food that is putting their lives at great health risk.

What can people do now?

-Eat more garden foods than store foods

-Stop drinking soft drinks like Coke, Pepsi, cordial, sugar with tea/coffee

-Cut down eating white rice and white bread/scone

Happy healthy life.