Transcript
KAREN FUKOFUKA - The guidelines are really still the same. Not a lot has changed, but what we have done with this new one is that we provided the background information to the guidelines.
SELA JANE HOPGOOD - What were some of the key points raised during the 3-day gathering around the guidelines?
KF - The key things was the discussion around the amount of food. The guidelines are essentially based on the three food groups that have been used previously in the Pacific, so those are still the same. The new things is really now that people are aware of the kinds of food that they need to eat. The key question is around how much is the amount of food from the three food groups that people need to eat. In addition, we also include lifestyle guidelines in this current guidelines and it is around physical activity, encouraging people to be more physically active. There's also a guideline on tobacco consumption, what tobacco smoking and encouraging people to stop smoking as well as around alcohol.
SJH - So each Pacific nation as much as they are similar, they do have their differences in terms of population size for example, so h ow will these guidelines cater to all?
KF - These guidelines that were developed in 2000, the principals are still the same. They were developed based on the information that we gathered from the region, so they were essentially developed for the Pacific, but of course the countries can take them and adapt them to suit their country's situation.
SJH - If not much was changed in the guidelines, was there another reason as to why the guidelines needed revising?
KF - It's important to have these guidelines because it ensures that the messages that we do give out is consistent. There's so much misinformation and it's also a lot of potential for misinterpretation of information, so having the guidelines will ensure that the key messages that we want to promote to our people are consistent and clear. It will be distributed throughout the region primarily through the Ministries of Health, but we also want to encourage our non-health partners to also use these guidelines particularly for those who are involved in delivering food and nutrition programmes to the communities.
SJH - That would be...
KF - Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education to being, you know, included in the school curriculum, so when they talk about health and nutrition in the schools, that they also use these guidelines. We'll also will be distributing it widely, but primarily through the Ministries of Health because the guidelines are there to support health promotion work when they talk about healthy eating through the communities that the messages in the guidelines will be used.
