Vietnamese children are facing three nutritional burdens.

Science has proven that about 86% of a person's maximum height is achieved under the age of 12. This is the stage that determines the maximum development of a person's stature, physical strength and intelligence.

Science has proven that about 86% of a person's maximum height is achieved under the age of 12. This is the stage that determines the maximum development of a person's stature, physical strength and intelligence.

At the 2nd International Conference on Vietnamese Nutrition with the theme of School Nutrition - organized by the Institute of Nutrition, the Japan Nutrition Association and TH Group , many issues related to school nutrition were raised.

Delegates and experts at the Workshop agreed that health is a precious asset of human life, starting in the first 1000 days of life and continuing from 2-12 years old.

Therefore, the issue of nutritional care for children at this stage - especially school nutrition - has become urgent and needs to be fully understood in order to have effective implementation solutions.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thanh Duong, Director of the Institute of Nutrition, Ministry of Health , Vietnamese children are facing three nutritional burdens such as malnutrition (especially stunting); overweight, obesity and micronutrient deficiencies.

According to the 2023 national survey, the rate of stunting in children under 5 years old in Vietnam is 18.2% (belonging to the group of countries with a rate of stunting in children below 20%, which is the average level according to the classification of the World Health Organization).

However, this rate is still high in the Northern Midlands and Mountains (24.8%) and the Central Highlands (25.9%). In addition, there is an increase in the rate of overweight and obesity in all subjects, including overweight and obesity in children aged 5-19, increasing from 8.5% in 2010 to 19.0% in 2020 (more than double after 10 years).

To address this situation, the Vietnamese Government has issued the National Nutrition Strategy for the 2021-2030 period, with specific goals to improve the nutritional status of the entire population, especially school-age children and adolescents.

Some of the key objectives of the Strategy include: Reducing the rate of stunting in children under 5 years old to below 15% by 2030; Controlling the rate of overweight and obesity in children, especially in urban areas, with the aim of keeping this rate below 19% for children aged 5-18 years old by 2030;

Strengthen nutrition education in schools, with the goal that 60% of schools in urban areas and 40% in rural areas will organize school meals with menus that meet recommended needs by 2025 and strive to reach 90% and 80% respectively by 2030.

To achieve this goal, comprehensive, continuous, and interdisciplinary intervention solutions are required, including the improvement of nutrition mechanisms and policies to facilitate implementation; strengthening inter-sectoral coordination and social mobilization; enhancing the quality of human resources, international cooperation, and application of information technology; promoting scientific research and nutrition education and communication.

In the field of school nutrition, according to Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thanh Duong, to achieve the set goals, in addition to the efforts and initiative of schools and educational organizations, the participation of families, businesses and the entire community is needed.

Parents need to be equipped with nutrition knowledge to help their children maintain healthy eating habits both at school and at home. Food businesses also play a particularly important role in providing healthy nutritional products and participating in child nutrition support programs.

A highlight of a practical solution in Vietnam presented by Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thanh De, Director of the Department of Physical Education, Ministry of Education and Training at the Workshop is the school meal model that ensures proper nutrition combined with increased physical activity for Vietnamese children, pupils and students.

This model is implemented by the Ministry of Education and Training with the support of TH Group, in 10 provinces and cities across the country, representing 5 ecological regions of Vietnam.

After assessing the nutritional status and developing a menu suitable for each locality, school meals in the pilot model are approached in the direction of using completely natural foods, based on the agricultural advantages of the region, fresh milk is scientifically included in the meal composition.

The main intervention of the Pilot Model is 400 diverse, balanced, micronutrient-rich school meal menus, afternoon snacks using 1 glass of fresh milk to improve calcium intake, combining nutrition education and physical education (through 130 compiled exercises and 60 compiled games suitable for each age group) to help students improve their health and physical development.

Research results show that the Point Model has had a positive effect on children's height and weight development, while contributing to improving knowledge about proper nutrition and strengthening physical strength for all three subjects: students, schools and parents.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thanh De made some specific proposals such as: Need to replicate pilot models; Develop policies and move towards legalizing school nutrition, which will be the legal basis for management agencies, schools, and businesses to participate in preparing and complying with conditions on facilities, human resources, processes, and expertise in serving school meals; Ensure human resources with expertise in nutrition in schools.

Regarding international experience, Prof. Nakamura Teiji, President of the Japan Nutrition Association, shared the successes of the school meal program in Japan, a prominent successful model in the world.

After World War II, Japan faced serious nutritional deficiencies, and in the context of the country's difficulties, Japan prioritized and focused on school lunches. In 1954, Japan enacted the School Lunch Law. In 2005, the Japanese government enacted the "Basic Law on Food and Nutrition Education (Shokuiku Basic Act.).

Thus, it can be seen that the Law on School Nutrition in Japan was born early and has changed in each period, to suit the actual situation of nutrition, economy and society. The law both standardizes school meals and focuses on developing nutrition education.

To date, 99% of elementary schools and 91.5% of junior high schools in Japan have adopted this program. As a result, malnutrition has decreased significantly, and Japanese youth are increasingly developing physically and mentally, with average height and stature growing significantly compared to 50 years ago.

Speaking about the importance of school nutrition, representing the accompanying unit, Labor Hero Thai Huong, Founder - Chairman of the TH Group Strategy Council, expressed that health is the greatest asset of human life. People are the subject of society, the resource that determines the development of the country. The physical, mental and spiritual development of each individual is very important.

A country is only strong when people are fully developed both physically and mentally, in which the prerequisite for this development is essential nutrition such as cereals, vegetables, food and dairy products and a sustainable health care regime.

And she called out: “Let us join hands to build and nurture the greatest asset of our lives in the best possible way.”

Source: https://baodautu.vn/tre-em-viet-nam-dang-phai-doi-mat-voi-ba-ganh-nang-ve-dinh-duong-d229853.html