The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that two in five individuals in the Western Pacific region are obese.
In a media briefing on Friday, WHO Regional Director Saia Ma'u Piukala said that nearly two in five adults in the Western Pacific region are overweight or obese.
This translates to 782 million persons living in the region.
He furthered that nearly one in four children over the age of five years are also affected.
"These figures are growing. By 2048, an estimated 21 million people in the Western Pacific are expected to die each year from [non-communicable diseases]," he added.
"It is tragic, but avoidable," he noted.
He also noted that 300 million people in the region do not have access to healthy food.
"Nearly 300 million people in the region are unable to afford a healthy diet. Sadly, in many places, highly processed food and drinks that contain a lot of fat, sugar, and salt are cheaper and more available than fresh fruits and vegetables," Piukala said.
This, Piukala noted, along with an extremely polluted environment contributes to the rise of non-communicable diseases including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Further, nearly 90 million people in the region lack basic drinking water facility and over 400 million don't have a toilet, Piukala said.
"The good news is this is all preventable. With political will and the necessary investment all of these problems can be turned around," he said.
