Staple food intake in a rural village in Verata, Fiji.

An assessment of food intake and body composition in twenty women in a relatively isolated rural village in Fiji was made. Subcutaneous fat distribution was assessed by the measurement of subscapular and triceps skin folds. Compared with measurements made on Polynesian and European women in New Zealand it was found that the Fiji women had relatively more central subcutaneous fat than Polynesian or European. Diet was assessed by two 7 day periods of diet diaries and analysed by food type. The two main foods eaten were cassava and flour based goods.