`` the direct and indirect impacts of human activities altering the global composition of the atmosphere in addition to the natural climate variability over specified time`` \cite{RN1257}.
\end{quote}The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines climate change as climate determined by statistical analysis, which is the changes in means and properties that prolonged over time, usually in decades or more \cite{RN1257}. Scientists can trace back past climates using the natural resources in the environment. Paleoclimate is the study of climate before the use of monitoring equipment. Tree rings are precise measurements as it contains dated information about the previous environment \cite{RN1292}. Corals also provide information on the past climate variability of the tropical and subtropical oceans \cite{RN1367}. Climate change is said to be caused by internal and external factors. External factors cause the variations in solar energy reaching the earth caused sunspots on the sun. The little ice age of the 17th century, when the world was unusually cold correlated with a few sunspots \cite{RN4708}. Discovered in the early 20th century Milankovich cycle is the varying of the earth and the sun geometry over time, and it has three effects. The eccentricity which occurs every 100,000 years cause’s solar irradiance to vary between seasons, a tilt which occurs every 41,000 years and precession influences heat distribution between latitudes and play essential roles in the triggering of the ice ages when radiation is reaching the higher latitudes. The tilting of the poles towards and away from the sun varies and has a direct effect on the temperature and the seasons on the planet \cite{RN1515,RN194,RN4698}.
The IPCC glossary defines anthropogenic climate change is when humans interfere with the natural gases in the atmosphere which in turn influences the change in average weather and climatic conditions \cite{RN1257}. The former United States President, Mr Barack Obama claimed that
\begin{quote}
`` climate change is the most important threat to humanity in this century"
\end{quote}
during the Climate Summit in New York in 2014
\cite{RN195}
Climate change is a threat to human health. Climate change challenges the basic health and human rights necessities which is proper shelter, clean air and water and adequate supply of nutritious food \cite{RN4671}. The density of the population, economic status, existing environmental conditions, and accessibility to quality health services will determine the level of vulnerability \cite{RN1306}. Climate change increases the likelihood of crop failures leading to food shortages and increasing the risk of malnutrition in countries that are dependent on agriculture to supply food to their citizens. Climate change will affect food availability through direct effects, the variation in rainfall causes either floods or droughts, the variation in temperature modifies the length of the crop growing seasons \cite{RN4831}.
The variation in rainfall caused by climate change will have an effect on crop productions in the Pacific. The rising temperatures, climate variabilities such as El Nino and La Nina conditions, sea level rise and more intense cyclones also affect the agriculture sector. Many of the rural dwellers in the Pacific still rely on locally grown food as their main staple diet. Most of these crops are dependent on rains in the summer (November to April), so the crops are dependent on rainfall. Climate projections for the region are variations in total rainfall which would be catastrophic to the crops \cite{RN4834}.
The South Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) warned Fiji that if it ignores the possible effects of climate change, which include increased vector-borne disease and increased malnutrition due to food shortages during extreme weather events, it will lose US \$5 -19 million by 2050 \cite{RN4692}
The United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) defines malnutrition as
\begin{quote}
`` when the body does not get the proper amount of energy (calories), proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients required to keep the organs and tissues healthy and functioning well''~\cite{RN1334}.
The World Health Organisation classifies malnutrition into three categories, undernutrition which includes wasting (low weight for height), stunting (low height for age), and underweight which is a low weight for age. Micronutrient malnutrition which is either lack of or excess of specific nutrients in the body and overnutrition which is excess nutrients in the body causing overweight and obesity are the other types of malnutrition \cite{RN4687}. Malnutrition is a complex illness caused by several factors, and to be able to prevent or minimise it, adequate and nutritious food must be considered \cite{RN4774}. The importance of the study is to determine that the effects of climate change which is the increase in temperature, variation in rainfall and the frequency of extreme weather due to that variation are one of the contributing factors to the prevalence of malnutrition in Fiji.
The Fijian Ministry of Health website \cite{RN4836} reported that malnutrition is the number one childhood killer in the country, this is an alarming statement coming from the health ministry. Fiji has the abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, root crops, marine and aquatic food and yet reports of malnutrition and fatalities caused by malnutrition are still happening. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation issued a statement in the media that malnutrition was prevalent in Fiji during that period, which was caused by shortages of vegetables, four months after category five \textit{Cyclone Winston} hit Fiji in February of 2016 \cite{RN4869}.
Research on the relationship between climate change and malnutrition were conducted in Africa and Asia, and there has never been any similar kind of study conducted in Fiji. This is one of the first studies of its kind in investigating the association between climate-related variables and the prevalence of malnutrition in Fiji.