Effectiveness of NCD-Related Fiscal Policies: Evidence from the Pacific.

Obesity in Pacific Island countries (PICs) has hit crisis levels, and the consequent high non-communicable disease (NCD) burden is devastating for their developing economies. Nutrition transitions from traditional, plant and seafood diets to a dependence on processed foods are at the core of the obesity and NCD epidemic in PICs. Fiscal policies are widely promoted as an effective mechanism to reduce consumption of unhealthy foods and increase consumption of fruits and vegetables. However, there are little data to evaluate the effectiveness of these policies as rates of NCDs and obesity in PICs continue to rise. This study used an online survey to recruit 4116 adults from six PICs: Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The study measured the consumption of and household access to sugar-sweetened beverages, ultra-processed packaged snacks, fruits and vegetables and attitudes on food prices and unhealthy eating. The study also assessed the relationship between consumption of these foods and drink and (1) household access, (2) price as a food choice motive, and (3) unhealthy eating attitudes. This study provides novel data on food-related behaviours in PICs, offers insights into the potential impact of NCD-related fiscal policies on food consumption and identifies other variables of interest.

Prevalence of the tobacco product dokha among high school students in Dubai.

BACKGROUND: Dokha is a mixed tobacco product, smoked through a pipe, traditional in Arabic culture and popular in the UAE. User forums suggest this product may contain higher levels of nicotine and potentially psychoactive properties. However, there have been few published studies on dokha prevalence and health effects. The present study provides initial data on prevalence of use among high school students resident in Dubai, UAE. METHODS: 416 students were recruited from five English curriculum schools. Respondents completed a questionnaire measuring current and lifetime use of tobacco in the form of cigarettes, water-pipes and dokha. Current tobacco users completed the 'Hooked on Nicotine Checklist for signs of dependency. RESULTS: Data from 394 subjects were analyzed with mean age 16.9 years. Regular use (weekly or daily) of tobacco had relatively high prevalence (23.4%) compared to international data and was driven by use of the local tobacco, dokha. CONCLUSION: Dokha forms a commonly used tobacco product among young people in the UAE from both Arab and Western national groups. Little is currently known about the health and dependence risks of this product. The paper adds to the few studies calling for timely research into this and other emerging tobacco products.