Challenging the food culture of the Marshall Islands

In 2017, the Canvasback Wellness Center (CWC) surveyed more than 4,000 elementary students in Majuro, revealing that 10% of public school and 25% of private school students were overweight, and 85% ate vegetables five or fewer days a week. These findings underscored a broader challenge in the Marshall Islands - home to 60,000 residents across 29 coral atolls - where diets heavy in white rice, processed meats, and sugary drinks have contributed to high diabetes risk. Building on work dating back to 2006, CWC, in partnership with the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) and Marshallese ministries, set out to shift food culture and health behaviours, focusing squarely on children.

Through the WDF-supported Majuro Youth Lifetime Health Programme launched in 2016, the initiative targeted eight schools, equipping students and teachers with locally illustrated health-activity books, practical training in cooking and exercise, and the creation of school gardens to grow and prepare vegetables. Materials were delivered to outer islands via the Okeanos boat service, extending the program’s reach beyond the capital. At the outset, schools lacked healthy offerings and teachers were selling junk food; the project worked closely with government ministries to pass a new Public Law and a City Ordinance in Majuro Atoll that restrict the sale of unhealthy foods to schoolchildren, and helped embed physical education across all schools - steps that have strengthened sustainability through local government support.