Sonsorol’s Angeles Yangilmau, Angaur’s Fustino Robert, Hatohobei’sSteven Patris, Ngaremlengui’s Madraisau Sulial, Peleliu’s Des Matsutaro, Ngardamau’s Wilhelm Ngiraikelau, Airai’s Henrietta Merei and Jack Masters, Koror’s Ehrlick Termeteet, Ngaraard’s Naito Soaladaob, Kayangel’s Shirley Blodak, and Ngiwal’s Margie Bechab were all present during Kuartei’s presentation on the current situation of child obesity cases in Palau at the Penthouse Hotel conference room.
The meeting was the first in many series to make sure that each of the states comes up with and develop its own programs in the community to fight child obesity.
MOH has been working with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to strengthen its fight against child obesity. And now it is coordinating with state leaders to establish different projects within the state governments.
“A total of 33.3 percent or 1/3 of children in Palau are either obese or at risk for obesity,” Kuartei said in a previous interview. “And because of that, the next generation is already predisposed to all of these chronic illnesses or so-called lifestyle diseases.”
What needs to be done, he added, is that Palau needs to build resilience. “And resilience starts with working with the environment, the community, so that healthy choices are easier to make or are the only choices.”
According to Margie Bechab, Vice Speaker of Ngiwal, they will be having a meeting this week with other state leaders in Ngiwal to draft the programs and projects that they will develop to fight child obesity in their state.
Shirley Blodak, a representative from Kayangel State, said although they don’t have much cases of child obesity in Kayangel, they are still going to establish programs to help prevent it.
Legislator Naito Soaladaob of Ngaraard State said they, too, will be having a meeting this week with the legislators of Ngaraard to come up with their own projects.
“This was just our first meeting with Minister Kuartei about child obesity programs,” Soaladaob said in an interview. “We will be meeting again on Thursday to present what projects and proposals each of us has come up with.”
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