Island Health Issues

The Pacific islands, especially the islands of Micronesia, including Guam and the Northern Marianas, have major problems with diabetes and high blood pressure.

Although statistics from Micronesia (FSM, Marshalls and Palau) are sketchy at best, these two health problems are the top two killers in the islands. One year will show diabetes the top killer in Micronesia and high blood pressure the top killer on Guam, then reversed a couple of years later.

Another major killer, and it might be the major killer, depending on how individual hospital records are kept, is alcohol, along with an increase of drug use. Some of the islands keep no accurate records on alcohol or drug deaths, while at least one island-state records alcohol-caused deaths as everything from cirrhosis of the liver to the death of a child who is hit and killed by a drunk driver.

The islands, especially the Micronesian islands, also still have problems with leprosy, elephantitis, TB, and other exotic diseases, but these health issues are minor compared with the top two killers and alcohol abuse.

Cancer is on the upswing in the islands. But whether or not this is simply because detection methods are more reliable now than in the past, is a question that hasn't been answered. Certainly with more people smoking in the islands, there are probably more smoke-related deaths. But with the poor record keeping that is done by the island hospitals, there aren't sufficient statistics to prove this.

Diet, of course, is the major cause. With the heavy imports of American and Japanese junk foods - especially American junk foods - the daily diet has suffered. Traditionally, the islanders ate fish, taro and breadfruit and drank water or coconut water. Now they eat canned corned beef, canned luncheon meats, soft drinks, candy, etc.

In the last several years, mental health has become an issue for the first time in the Micronesian islands. Fr. Francis X. Hezel, SJ has done considerable research into this problem and the accompanying problem of suicide in the islands.

In the following pages are several articles about the problems of diabetes and alcohol, both on the islands and articles about the sicknesses in general.

And we have included articles by Fr. Hezel about the mental health problems in Micronesia.

Micronesia Books