In Tonga as elsewhere, consumption of inexpensive, high calorie, fatty foods are associated with increases in diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Programs have been designed to educate people about dangers associated with these foods, but if consumption has increased for economic reasons (e.g., price or availability), such programs may have minimal impact, and other policy options are warranted. A quantitative questionnaire study was conducted in Tonga using a broad sample from different areas (n = 430). The survey elicited information on: preferences for, frequency of consumption of, perception of nutritional value of, and (for a subset) the availability of, 36 traditional and imported foods. People prefer traditional foods and accurately perceive these as more nutritious. However, consumption patterns do not coincide with preference or nutritional value. Policy designed to improve NCDs should, therefore, address the general linkage between economic development and detrimental consumption patterns, and promote the availably and cost competitiveness of healthier, traditional foods.
Consumption of traditional versusimported foods in Tonga: Implications for programsdesigned to reduce diet-relatednon-communicable diseases indeveloping countries
Reprints and Corporate Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:
Academic Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:
If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.
Related research
People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.
Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.
Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.