In Some Cultures, a Role for Shame in Addressing Obesity?
- Amelia Rachel Hokule’a Borofsky, Psy.D., is a community and clinical psychologist based in Hawaii. She teaches at Hawaii Pacific University and writes about health across different cultures.
According to the Ministry of Health, 87 percent of the population in the Cook Islands is obese. The World Health Organization recorded rates of obesity as high as 75 percent in Nauru, Samoa, American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Tonga, and French Polynesia. According to the 2011 report, "The factors for this
epidemic of obesity are a dramatic decrease in physical activity and a dependence on Western diet."
Most reports cite the need for a return to a local diet and more exercise. They do not address the barriers, psychological and practical, to behavioral change.
How do you get a Pacific Islander who, thanks to WWII, loves canned corned beef, Spam, and rice, to start eating arugula?
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