Long-Term Food Consumption Survey on Piis-Paneu Island, Chuuk State, the Federated States of Micronesia

Abstract

Piis-Paneu Island, located on the of Atoll, the Federated Micronesia is the most distantly inhabited island in Chuuk Atoll from Weno Island, the capital and commercial center of Chuuk State. A 5 -year food consumption survey was conducted on Piis-Paneu Island to reveal annual fluctuations in food consumption and to understand the effects of a typhoon on dietary patterns on a small island. The huge typhoon had a devastating impact on the production of some crops, especially breadfruit, on the island, and the frequency of breadfruit consumption did not return to a normal level even 3 years after the typhoon. It is necessary to manage famine food, such as Alocasia macrorrhizos and Tacca leontopetaloides , or naturalized plants on each island, and to pass traditional knowledge of these plants to the next generation as a precaution for food shortages caused by typhoons or other natural disasters. The dietary patterns on Piis-Paneu Island are traditional compared to those on Pohnpei Island, the center of Pohnpei State and home of the FSM capital city Kolonia; the consumption of local starchy staples and local marine resources is much greater, while the consumption of canned fish, imported meat, and flour products is lower. This 5 -year study confirms that the dietary patterns on Piis-Paneu Island remain traditional with the addition of modern food, even though a typhoon hit the island during the survey.