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* Only Sustainable Measures Are Helping COVID-19 Control4
http://www.hsvg.org/ Guahan Global Foundation
Guahan Global Foundation P.O. Box 206, Hagatna, GU 96932, USA
(February 13, 2026) Guam’s obesity prevalence is over 40% The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the nation’s latest Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps. Guam’s adult obesity prevalence is over 40% on the map. There are only 3 states or territories with 40% or higher adult obesity rates. The CDC has released the map every year since 2012. When the CDC released 2023 Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps for 48 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 territories in September 2024, Guam’s adult obesity rate has been above 35% for the first time. On the 2024 map released in December 2025, Guam’s adult obesity prevalence is 40.2%. On the 2023 map, Michigan, Puerto Rico, and Mississippi’s adult obesity rates were 35.4%, 36%, and 40.1%, respectively. Although their 2024 numbers also went up, Michigan’s rate for 2024 is 36.1%, Puerto Rico is 36.2%, and Mississippi is 40.4% while Guam’s adult obesity rate jumps significantly from 2023’s 35.4% to 2024’s 40.2%. Hawaii’s adult obesity prevalence has also kept increasing year by year, but its 2022 number was 25.9%, 2023 was 26.1%, and the latest 2024 is only 27%. Some states with a high obesity rate actually reversed the trend. Alaska’s number on the 2023 map was 35.2% and drops to 34% on the 2024 one. New Mexico’s rate drops to 34.5% on the 2024 map from 2023’s 35.3%. Also, in Missouri, 2023’s 35.3% drops to 2024’s 34.6%. In Illinois, 2023’s 36% drops to 2024’s 34.2%. So, it is possible to reverse the population’s obesity trend. Guam needs to encourage more people in the community to watch their body weight. The increasing prevalence of obesity is highly associated with the risk for developing diabetes, which is another Guam’s prevalent health issue. In addition, the American Heart Association (AHA) warns that the rate of deaths from ischemic heart disease related to obesity nearly tripled in the U.S. over a two-decade span. The AHA explains that ischemic heart disease occurs when narrowed arteries reduce the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart muscle. This can lead to a heart attack. Obesity is a serious risk factor for ischemic heart disease, and this risk is going up at an alarming rate along with the increasing prevalence of obesity. While the AHA is commemorating American Heart Month now in February, they also remind that body weight is a powerful signal of how the body’s most important systems are working together. Maintaining a healthy body weight supports the cardiovascular system, kidney and metabolim,  which is the way the body creates, stores and uses energy. When body weight is within a healthier range, the body manages blood sugar more easily, the heart works better, and the kidneys filter more effectively. Together, this is called cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) health. It happened that the Federal government released the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 last month. According to its press release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is confident that the new guidance will dramatically lower chronic disease for Americans. For example, the U.S. faces the highest obesity and type 2 diabetes rates in the developed world. One-third of teens in the U.S. suffer from pre-diabetes. 20% of children and adolescents have obesity, and 18.5% of young adults have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The HHS’ press release emphasized the new dietary guidelines are evangelizing real food. “The guidance provides possibilities across all recommendations. For example, in proteins, options such as chicken, pork, beans, and legumes; a larger variety of dairy products, at all price points, including whole milk and full-fat dairy products; fresh, frozen, dried, and canned fruits and vegetables, from beets to strawberries, carrots to apples; and whole grains. Paired with a reduction in highly processed foods laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives.” HHS said. Our foundation welcomes the new dietary guidelines highlighting real food and prioritizing whole grains, healthy fats, high-quality protein, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables. We also commend the emphasis on avoiding highly processed foods and added sugar. We look forward to seeing the new dietary guidelines and the related policies really promote people’s healthier eating and provide school children, senior citizens, military members and our veterans with healthier meals to subsequently help reduce the prevalence of obesity and chronic disease. Speaking of promoting a real food framework in Guam, our island community obviously must work harder to secure the stability of the imported fresh food’s shipment as well as the locally produced food’s supply to help people's access to real food. That is why our foundation appreciates the hard work of the Port authority of Guam, the shipping companies, and all related organizations. We also admire the continuous efforts made by many local organizations to strengthen our island’s food resiliency. We therefore want to remind our island community that Guahan Sustainable Culture is trying the pilot “Southside Sunday Farmer’s Market” every Sunday morning in February at its Food Resiliency Hub in the village of Yona. We encourage community members to make time for the farmer’s market, enjoy the beautiful Sunday surrounded by natural beauties in the south of the island, and purchase food from local farmers and producers as much as possible. In addition to food and diet, body weight is affected by many other factors, including genetics, hormones, environment, medications, and stress. Willpower alone does not drive weight-loss outcomes. People with obesity should understand that learning the science behind weight management from professionals is important. Every small improvement can bring meaningful benefits. Steady lifestyle changes will help long-term well-being. http://www.hsvg.org/hot_530574.html * Guam’s obesity prevalence is over 40% 2026-02-13 2027-02-13
Guahan Global Foundation P.O. Box 206, Hagatna, GU 96932, USA http://www.hsvg.org/hot_530574.html
Guahan Global Foundation P.O. Box 206, Hagatna, GU 96932, USA http://www.hsvg.org/hot_530574.html
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Home ﹥ News > News > * Only Sustainable Measures Are Helping COVID-19 Control

(July 10, 2020)

Only Sustainable Measures Are Helping COVID-19 Control



The whole world has surely noticed that China, Australia and the United States are having COVID-19 community spread again. While several places are locked down again, it is time that every government honestly informs people that we are inevitably going to live with the coronavirus for a while. Only sustainable measures, which is absolutely not another lockdown, can really help everybody get through it together.



After some restrictions were lifted in May or June, many people might think the coronavirus has gone and it’s not necessary any more to strictly practice social distancing, to wear a face covering in public and to wash hands that often. It is highly likely to be the reason why a number of places are having the second wave. Every government should learn the lesson and offer people proper information about the current status of the pandemic to at least have the majority of people keep practicing the precaution measures to maintain a flat, or downward, infection curve.



Taiwan, with more than 23 million citizens, has not reported any domestic COVID-19 cases since April 13. Even though, its nationwide health education system kept reminding people in the whole month of May to maintain social distancing, to wear a mask in public and to practice good personal hygiene. Taiwanese government is therefore confident to announce on June 17 that they will ease quarantine regulations exclusively for visitors from 11 low-risk countries and areas, including New Zealand, Australia, Macau, Palau, Fiji, Brunei, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, Mongolia and Bhutan.



Although there have been more than 350 import cases challenging Taiwan’s public health system since the country encountered the first one from China on January 21, Taiwanese government has never enforced any lockdown or stay-home orders. With no lockdown, as of July 9, only 55 domestic cases have been reported and 7 patients sadly died in Taiwan. Apparently, Taiwan has been showing the world a relevant example of the sustainable way that people can fearlessly live with the coronavirus in the long run.



A number of solid research findings have also offered evidence to prove there are effective protection measures helping people live with the coronavirus before vaccines are available. For example, a meta-analysis report published on June 1 in The Lancet showed 1-meter social distance significantly reduced the chance of human-to-human transmission to 2.6% from 12.8% with no social distancing intervention. Face masks also helped lower the chance from 17.4% to 3.1%. Eye protection decreased the chance to 5.5% from 16%. (Ref. 1)



An analysis published on June 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science analyzed data from three epicenters - Wuhan (China), Italy and New York City - and proved that mandated face covering “alone” significantly reduced the number of COVID -19 infections. The researchers concluded that wearing of face masks in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent human-to-human transmission, and this inexpensive practice, in conjunction with simultaneous social distancing, quarantine, and contact tracing, represents the most likely fighting opportunity to stop the COVID-19 pandemic. (Ref.2)



There are, of course, studies showing lockdowns help as well. The journal Nature published two scientific articles on June 8, which support the effect of large-scale lockdowns. One of the researches examined data from 11 European countries and showed that lockdowns effectively slowed the pandemic and saved 3.1 million lives. (Ref. 3) (Ref. 4)



However, many people were probably willing to sacrifice their freedom and convenience for saving lives in March and April and hoping everything would be fine after the pandemic ended. In May, especially late May, "lockdown fatigue" has emerged. It seems less people are comfortable in June with the all-or-nothing nature of strict lockdowns because many people have started noticing the huge uncertainty for the future after three-month lockdowns.



In fact, at least two "excess deaths" analyses based on statistics of EuroMOMO, the European morality monitoring activity, have shown that the strictness of a country’s lockdown measures had little associations with its fatality of COVID-19. These analyses concluded that it’s better to respond quickly, with proper testing and tracing protocols, rather than replying on strict lockdowns. (Ref.5) (Ref.6)



The biggest myth about lockdown is to believe it is the only solution when the epidemic gets worse. In fact, lockdown is a measure to lock the seriously-affected area in order to protect people in other areas. When SARS hit Taiwan 17 years ago, the health authority there locked a hospital where a serious nosocomial infection occurred to protect the community outsides. When Wuhan became a miserable epicenter of China in January, Chinese government issued a lockdown order in Wuhan to avoid the coronavirus from further spreading to other cities and provinces.  



To live with the coronavirus, in addition to people’s good personal hygiene and social distancing practice, since COVID-19 is highly contagious and an increased testing capacity will definitely find more infections, government officials have to learn that the number of positive cases is not an optimal indicator to monitor pandemic control and hospitalization is. Singapore is the best example regarding this. As of July 9, this city state, with 6 million residents, has reported 45,423 positive cases through its aggressive testing protocol. But Singaporeans did not panic. They watched hospitalization rate carefully. Their well-prepared medical system has controlled the death toll as low as 26.



In addition, the public health system needs to offer extra care to the elderly, especially those who live in nursing homes, to avoid the mistakes many countries have made in the past several months, which caused a lot of deaths among the seniors. The system also needs to remind the other high-risk group - people with underlying medical conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes and lung disease - to try their best to get their chronic illness under control before the coronavirus hits our community again.




Ref. 1 The Lancet:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31142-9/fulltext

Ref. 2 Proceedings of the National Academy of Science:

https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/06/10/2009637117

Ref. 3 Nature:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2404-8

Ref. 4 Nature:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2405-7

Ref. 5 The Economist:

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/04/16/tracking-covid-19-excess-deaths-across-countries

Ref. 6 Bloomberg:

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-opinion-coronavirus-europe-lockdown-excess-deaths-recession/

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