diabetic case analysis among the people of Samoa as a result of poor lifestyle PDF

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the paper discuses the documentary the people of Samoa. Obesity is high among Samoa natives as they consume a lot of sugar and fatty products. The documentary seeks to understand what are some of the measures taken to control the high cases of diabetic and obesity...

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“The fattest place on Earth/Unreported World” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu8tudYsEs8 Situation The documentary takes a look at the increase rate of obesity on the Island of Samoa. It is said that 9 out of 10 people in this Island are obese or overweight. The journalist travels to the Island to have a firsthand experience of what transpires and has resulted in the increased diabetes rate in this region. Furthermore, it is on this Island where you will find the fattest people in the world. To understand the situation, the journalist visits two people in the Island; Tabata, who is 33 years old, weighs 27 stones and has been experiencing kidney problems. The second person the journalist meets is Lori May, who has type 2 diabetes due to obesity. Also, she is, unfortunately, losing her sight, besides having lost two of her toes. She is 28, pregnant and fears losing her baby due to her condition. To understand what exactly is happening in the Island, the journalist goes to a weight loss Bootcamp. She finds a team filming the exercise for a local T.V. show popularly known as Samoa’s Biggest Loser. Tabita is among the candidates in the activity, and apparently, the heaviest and his blood pressure is dangerously high. In the contest, contesters are subjected to a fitness test. With the interview with Tabita, he states that while he was working as a taxi driver, he overate and drank many soft drinks. And as a result, he has gained a lot of weight that has now threatened his life. Due to the increased medical cases in Samoa, most people are now aware of the risk at hand. They understand that if they don’t change their lifestyle, they risk dying at an early age. To have a clear picture of what many people eat in this area, the journalist joins Tabita in his weekly shopping. Tabita has two types of food on his shopping list; the food he and his family prefer and

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his locally grown vegetables for his weight loss. Surprisingly, all the food that the family likes is all imported. Mutton flaps imported from New Zealand are among the favorite food in Samoa, which is over 40 per cent fat. Surprisingly, in New Zealand, it is used as dog food. The journalists further look at the supermarket where she finds other foods with over 20 per cent fat, which is double what one would find in other places such as the U.K. Unfortunately, eating local food is seen as inferior to imported food. Samoa has a population of about 200,000 people. Due to the high diabetes cases, they have established a diabetic foot clinic, where patients get to access diabetic-related medical services. One in five people in Samoa has type 2 diabetes. In the last three decades, the number of those who have type 2 diabetes has risen over 20 times in Samoa. From academic studies, it is said that Samoa is one of the countries whose life expectancy is falling at a higher rate. The eastern side of Samoa is the worst hit, and 93 per cent of people here are obese or overweight. Value Truth-telling is one of the critical values that encompass the film industry. The world today is faced by numerous emerging issues, and when people fail to understand the consequences of the truth behind the events or actions, they suffer the consequence. Health is a critical challenge that the world faces, to the extent that there is a global health body; World Health Organization (W.H.O.) is mandated to manage and research health issues. Unfortunately, as developing nations look forward to westernizing, they fail to understand what is at stake. Healthy eating habits are neglected, resulting in the many cases of illness that would have been preventable if only people were cautious. The world today is very much connected, thanks to technology. The use of films and particularly documentaries, take up a problematic issue and investigates on. In this case, our

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documentary investigates on the high casein Samoa. Here we get to see the journalist seeking to understand if the natives are aware of the dreadful situation they are facing and understand the root cause of their problem. Surprisingly, as we get to see, the majority of people are aware of this situation. However, it is unfortunate to learn that most food in Samoa is imported, and the packaged “nutrient” does not equate to what is sold elsewhere. The documentary focuses on Samoa; however, it is an open platform that truly tells what Samoa is going through and how dangerously other countries are importing fatty foods to Samoa. Although the natives have a responsibility to safeguarding their health, over the years, we have witnessed solidarity in the world where companies have been forced to make their products healthier. With such films, the world understands what Samoa people are subjected to, and through the international community, the world can assume a significant role in rescuing Samoa. Principles It is imperative to have an independent media since Media is regarded as the fourth mainstay of democracy. Journalist addresses critical ethical issues encompassing a society, especially those accepted or believed to be right in the community (Nash, 2011). In Samoa, they acknowledge that eating local food is inferior to imported food. Nothing much has been done to create awareness in the society to address the health Crisis in the Island. Fortunately, journalism and film making voices out these ethical issues contrasting to the social believe yet bringing harm to society. Hence, in our case, the documentary does not informally or formally incline to cultural, corporate, or political interests; but on a globally identified issue. Thus, we can concur that Media is a transparent object between the society and the different ethical issues. Loyalties

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The primary loyalty in the documentary is to the Samoa natives. It is the duty of filmmakers as a voice, to speak out the different issues affecting society (W Lovell, & Windle, 2008). Health is a crucial subject of safeguarding humanity. And with the verge of having a lower life expectancy in Samoa, someone needs to voice this as an emergency that ought to be tended to. Conclusion There is a need to embrace the use of documentaries and appreciate their role in society. They play a more significant part, unlike the news that would make a brief reporting on a given subject. Documentaries take a more in-depth investigation of a given topic and make its audience have a more comprehensive understanding. I highly appreciate, the work done in this documentary “The fattest place on Earth/Unreported World,” as it voices the cry for Samoa.

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References Nash, K. (2011). Documentary-for-the-other: Relationships, ethics and (observational) documentary. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 26(3), 224-239. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08900523.2011.581971 W Lovell, D., & Windle, K. (2008). Our Unswerving Loyalty: A documentary survey of relations between the Communist Party of Australia and Moscow, 1920? 1940 (p. 379). ANU Press....