Hanoi implements measures to prevent and control overweight and obesity among students.

From 2023 to 2025, the Hanoi Department of Health, in coordination with the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, will implement an intervention model to prevent and control overweight and obesity among students in a number of primary schools in the capital city.

The rate of overweight and obese children in Vietnam is currently very worrying. According to the national nutrition survey, the rate of overweight and obese children nationwide increased sharply from 8.5% (in 2010) to 19% (in 2020).

The rate of overweight and obese children in Vietnam is currently very worrying.

Being overweight or obese has many negative consequences for children's health, affecting their physical and intellectual development and increasing their risk of non-communicable diseases in adulthood.

Overweight and obese children not only suffer from low self-esteem and feelings of inferiority, but also create significant pressure on their parents and caregivers. Some children have become withdrawn and depressed due to being overweight or obese.

A survey of 5,028 students in 75 schools in Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City, Thai Nguyen, Nghe An, and Soc Trang showed that the overall rate of overweight and obesity among primary school students in both rural and urban areas was 29%; the rate of overweight and obesity was higher in urban students than in rural students (41.9% and 17.8%).

The results of an assessment of the nutritional status of school-aged children from 2017 to 2021 in 90 schools in Hanoi, covering grades 5, 9, and 12 (with a sample size of approximately 7,300 students each year), showed that primary school students had the highest rate of overweight and obesity at 37.8%; while this rate was 16.8% for lower secondary school students and 11.3% for upper secondary school students.

Notably, the rate of overweight and obesity has increased rapidly over the years, and is higher in urban areas than in suburban areas. In fact, some primary schools in urban areas have overweight and obesity rates as high as 55.7%.

According to Associate Professor Bui Thi Nhung, Head of the Department of School and Occupational Nutrition (National Institute of Nutrition), the rate of overweight and obese school children is very worrying. Overweight and obesity are consequences of the long-term accumulation of excess energy in the diet.

There are many causes of overweight and obesity in children, such as excessive protein intake, micronutrient deficiencies; lack of physical activity; and consumption of fast food, processed foods, and sugary foods.

Being overweight or obese can lead to many serious consequences. When testing 500 obese children, 35-50% were found to have dyslipidemia (abnormal blood lipid levels). Furthermore, diabetes is no longer just an adult disease, but is becoming more prevalent among younger people…

In many families, especially for preschool children, grandparents prefer their grandchildren to be chubby, leading to overfeeding. Alternatively, some families believe that children don't eat enough at school, so they often force-feed them excessive amounts of food at home, which over time leads to overweight and obesity.

Another contributing factor is that parents, for convenience, often allow their children to consume fast food, soft drinks, sweets, ice cream, and snacks after school, which is also a cause of weight gain in children.

Accordingly, eating one steamed bun contains 400 calories, requiring 2 hours of running to burn it off; one bottle of soda contains over 200-300 calories, requiring nearly 2 hours of physical activity. However, children, due to extra classes and homework, have less physical activity. According to the World Health Organization's recommendations, children and adolescents should exercise for 60 minutes per day to avoid being overweight or obese.

To curb overweight and obesity in children, from 2023 to 2025, the Hanoi Department of Health, in coordination with the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, will implement an intervention model to prevent and control overweight and obesity among students in some primary schools in the capital city.

Initially, the intervention model for preventing and controlling overweight and obesity is being implemented in three primary schools: La Thanh (Dong Da district), Nguyen Du (Hoan Kiem district), and Le Loi (Ha Dong district).

Through these awareness campaigns, nutrition experts also advised parents of overweight or obese children to cooperate with health officials and schools to implement nutritionally balanced meals, including sufficient amounts of green vegetables as recommended for each age group.

In particular, parents should note that children should not frequently consume foods that increase the risk of overweight and obesity, such as: soft drinks, bubble tea, sugary candies, instant noodles, sausages, and fried foods (fried chicken, fried spring rolls, fried fish balls, etc.) around school or at home.

In addition, doctors and medical staff also develop and implement meal plans for overweight and obese children at home; and at the same time, advise on supplementing certain minerals and micronutrients (calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin D3, etc.) depending on the physical condition of each overweight and obese child at home.

Through these communication and nutrition counseling sessions, parents of overweight and obese children have committed to the school to implement recommended diets and physical exercise regimens appropriate to their children's age and nutritional status.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Bank, investing just $1 in nutrition for children during the first 1,000 days of life will yield a return of $18; children treated for stunting are 33% more likely to escape poverty in adulthood, contributing 3-10% to national GDP growth. This demonstrates the crucial role children's nutrition plays in the economic development of every nation.

To address existing nutritional problems and continue striving to achieve basic health standards for the people, on January 5, 2022, the Prime Minister approved the National Strategy on Nutrition for the period 2021 to 2030 and a vision to 2045, with the overall goal of ensuring rational nutrition to suit each target group, locality, region, and ethnic group, contributing to reducing the burden of disease, and improving the stature, physical strength, and intelligence of Vietnamese people.

From 2020-2022, the Government incorporated nutrition improvement activities into the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction giai đoạn 2021-2025; the National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas giai đoạn 2021-2030; and the National Target Program for New Rural Development giai đoạn 2021-2025, as well as several related projects and programs.

To successfully and sustainably achieve the targets and objectives of the National Nutrition Strategy, experts suggest strengthening communication to raise public awareness, especially among parents, about child nutrition.

Continue to mobilize all levels, sectors, international organizations, society, and the people to invest both in policies and resources to implement tasks and solutions for nutrition.

In addition, it is necessary to develop and effectively implement nutrition policies (establishing standards for nutrition positions in the community; warning labels; and effectively enforcing existing policies). It is also crucial to improve the capacity, training, and professional development of nutrition workers.

Further focus should be placed on controlling overweight and obesity among individuals aged 5 to 19 and urban adults; effectively managing metabolic disorders and reducing the risk of diet-related non-communicable chronic diseases.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/ha-noi-phong-chong-thua-can-beo-phi-cho-hoc-sinh-d226943.html