Childhood obesity rates have risen globally and especially among Pacific Island children.1

In the recent NZMJ publication2 regarding obesity management, Carroll et al point to the need for changes in lifestyle at a personal level and note that adherences to the intervention and hence behavioural change is a predominant factor in success.
However, Pacific Island children are also thought to be genetically large and this genetic predisposition may well weaken resolve to address lifestyle issues through effective intervention3 if obesity is seen as part of the Pacific Island phenotype and
thus out of personal control. This contribution of the Pacific Island phenotype could be put in perspective by comparing Pacific Island children who are not subject to urban lifestyle influences to genetically similar populations who are.