Invited Talk ESA-SRB-ANZOS 2025 in conjunction with ENSA

Lost in the System – Pacific children and young people in Aotearoa/New Zealand; disproportionately affected but poorly supported (131576)

Collin Tukuitonga 1
  1. University Of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Obesity disproportionately affects Pacific and indigenous Maori children and adolescents, as well as those of lower socioeconomic status in Aotearoa/New Zealand.  A review in 2019 showed that more than 33% of children and young people aged 2-14 years were overweight or obese.  The prevalence of childhood obesity is highest in Pacific children (22.3%).  More than two thirds of young Pacific women in Aotearoa/New Zealand are obese.  Much of the underlying factors relate to socioeconomic disadvantage, poor access to health information and health care, and the influence of the global food and advertising industries.

Support for Pacific children and their families who are overweight or obese in Aotearoa/New Zealand is limited.  There are no Child Obesity Clinics in Auckland, our largest city.  Children can be seen in a General Paediatric Clinic with/without a dietician and referred to community programmes which are also limited.  Often kids are seen with another condition and obesity is noted and addressed with lifestyle advice and/or referred to the dietician clinic.  Kids with complications e.g. T2D can be seen by Endocrine Clinic or we will be seen in General Paediatrics or Youth Clinic with advice from Endocrinologists and others.  The dietician clinic sessions are very limited due to lack of resources.  The entire health system is severely stretched and not meeting the needs of those most in need.

There is an urgent need to address obesity in children and young people in Aotearoa/New Zealand with special attention to those most affected.  Obesity prevention is the priority but there is also immediate need for improvements in management support, including;

  1. Specialist Child and Youth Obesity clinics with multi-disciplinary teams (MDT) including Nutritionist, Paediatrician, Adult physician (and Endocrine support) and capability/capacity to use (and explore and research) the new technologies plus subspecialty clinic to address serious morbidities
  1. Community based and facing MDT clinics that partner with community programmes with capacity to work with whole families and households – ie in the community and ability to link into subspecialists if needed but also back-up and work with teams in the field.

 

Acknowledgements to Dame Teuila Percival DNZM QSO FRACP FCPHM (Hon)