At dusk, on the Papeete waterfront, six Polynesians with sculpted abs haul their outrigger canoe out of the lagoon after training. Opposite, in Paofai Park, about ten teenagers are doing pull-ups on fixed bars.
But these athletic bodies are becoming increasingly rare: more than one in two adults and one in four teenagers are obese in French Polynesia. «"I try to reduce the portion sizes, but I eat too much at each meal."», "That's true," acknowledges Terai Hatitio. At 15 years old, this high school student weighs 140 kilos. Still far from his father's 210 kilos.
«"We currently offer sizes up to 5XL, but we are considering going up to 6 or 7XL."»
«"Being overweight has many disadvantages; I can't do certain movements, so some sports are difficult for me."», explains the young man, who maintains his energy by doing weight training. And «"It's difficult to find clothes, I have to go to the United States."«" he emphasizes.
Most Polynesians cannot afford it. Several local shops have therefore specialized in plus-size clothing. «"We currently offer sizes up to 5XL, but we are considering going up to 6 or 7XL."», explains Mehani Teato, a saleswoman at the Bamboo Kultur store.
The proportion of adults suffering from obesity has increased from 401% to 511% of the population in the space of 11 years. This condition contributes to other health problems, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
More than 46,000 Polynesians (171% of the 280,000 inhabitants) suffer from long-term illnesses, costing the local social security system €335 million annually. The Polynesian government aims to address all the contributing factors to these chronic diseases: sedentary lifestyles, smoking, diet, and also poverty.
The Ministry of Health is therefore preparing a vast prevention plan (2026-2031) and promotion of healthy and local products, while taxing fatty, salty and sugary products and promoting physical activity for all, particularly within companies.
«"In the Polynesian worldview, eating a lot is a positive thing."»
But you still have to want to lose weight. In Polynesia, a «"beautiful baby"» is often very chubby and being overweight does not hinder public careers in any way, as evidenced by imposing television news presenters or the massive president of French Polynesia. «"Here, being obese is commonplace; we forget that it can have serious health problems: it affects the joints, sometimes the digestive system. Education, starting in primary school, is therefore essential."«" , says Health Minister Dr. Raihei Ansquer, interviewed by AFP.
The 84 "healthy schools" are responsible for this prevention, particularly the crackdown on overly sugary snacks. The reason for taking action in childhood is that «"In the Polynesian worldview, eating a lot and being overweight is a positive thing."», confirms anthropologist Daniel Monconduit, director of the Ora Ora health facility (Life life, in Tahitian).
Each year, it offers more than 300 patients the opportunity to take control of their lifestyle and change their perspective on their own bodies. «"We had patients weighing 180 or 200 kilos who adapted very well morphologically, who remained autonomous, which gave an impression of normality: here, being obese is the norm."», explains Mr. Monconduit.
The Ora Ora method produces spectacular results in the first year, but many patients then give up, returning to their old habits, he laments. And the isolated islands are not equipped to support overweight people.
The inter-island airline Air Tahiti even indicates that it has started weighing its passengers
Unhealthy eating and a sedentary lifestyle are not unique to Polynesia. However, the Polynesian islands in the broadest sense (French Polynesia, but also Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and the Cook Islands) are all among the countries or territories with the highest obesity rates in the world.
Genetics, long suspected, is not believed to be the cause. «"From my point of view, it's a behavioral problem, not a genetic one, with the food link having broken down."», analyzes Mr. Monconduit. «"We went from a Polynesian culture to a Western culture, with a shock to our diet and new addictions to products like sugar, which didn't exist before."», Dr. Ansquer agrees, advocating prevention based on local culture.
«"An individual must be considered within their natural and cultural environment, which is a determinant of health."», "It's about time," the minister believes. Social security is on its last legs in Polynesia. And the inter-island airline Air Tahiti has even started weighing its passengers, as the continued increase in average weight makes landings more difficult on islands and atolls with short runways.
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