Building a physical foundation for future generations

School nutrition determines physical and mental foundation

To have a good physical foundation, nutrition plays the most important role. 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.

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.

School-age children grow rapidly, with an average height increase of about 6.2 cm per year. This shows that school nutrition plays a very important role, both ensuring the nutritional needs for children's physical development and providing energy for students' physical and learning activities. Therefore, investing in school nutrition is a breakthrough policy to improve children's physical and mental stature to meet the country's human resource development requirements in the future.

To have a good physical foundation, nutrition plays the most important role.

Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thanh Duong, Director of the Institute of Nutrition (Ministry of Health) said that Vietnamese children are facing three nutritional burdens: Malnutrition (mainly stunting, underweight); overweight, obesity and micronutrient deficiencies. The results of the survey and assessment of the nutritional status in 2024 by the Institute of Nutrition showed that the rate of stunting in children under 5 years old in Vietnam is 18.1%, and in the two northern midlands and mountainous regions, the Central Highlands, the rates are even higher, at 23.8% and 27.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, the rate of obesity and overweight in the 5-19 age group has more than doubled in 10 years, from 8.5% in 2010 to 19%...

The above conditions can lead to an increased risk of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases such as: High blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, etc.

Given the current nutritional situation, solutions are needed to both improve malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies and prevent overweight and obesity. Currently, relevant ministries, sectors and localities are actively implementing the National Nutrition Strategy for the 2021-2030 period, with the goal of improving the nutritional status of the entire population, especially school-age children and adolescents.

Investing in school nutrition is a breakthrough policy to improve children's physical and mental stature to meet the country's human resource development requirements in the future.

The pilot model of school meals ensuring proper nutrition combined with increased physical activity for Vietnamese children, pupils and students (implemented by the Ministry of Education and Training with the support of TH Group in 10 provinces and cities across the country, representing five ecological regions of Vietnam) has brought about positive results. The main intervention of the pilot model is 400 diverse, balanced, micronutrient-rich school meal menus combined with nutrition education and physical education to help students improve their health and develop their physical strength. This model can be completely replicated nationwide.

At the international conference on school nutrition: world experience and recommendations for Vietnam held at the end of 2024, many international nutrition experts shared good practices.

As Japan has issued the law on school nutrition early and has changed it periodically, to suit the actual situation of nutrition and socio-economic status. The law both standardizes school meals and focuses on developing nutrition education. Thanks to that, malnutrition has decreased significantly, Japanese youth are increasingly developing physically and intellectually, with average height and stature growing remarkably.

In the US, although there is no separate law on school nutrition, the country sets strict nutritional standards, focusing on reducing sugar, salt and fat; adding vegetables, grains and fresh milk to school meals; nutrition education is also integrated into the main curriculum, helping children to properly perceive the importance of nutrition for health, thereby building and maintaining healthy eating habits...

Professor, Dr. Le Thi Hop, a leading expert in nutrition, said that legalizing school nutrition in our country is an urgent issue, in order to have a sustainable and synchronous solution for school nutrition activities.

SO THAT PHYSICAL EDUCATION IS NO LONGER A "SECONDARY SUBJECT"

With the goal of improving the quality of human resources, serving the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country; gradually improving the quality of the race and increasing the healthy life expectancy of Vietnamese people, in April 2011, the Prime Minister approved the overall project on developing the physical strength and stature of Vietnamese people in the period 2011-2030.

The project sets out specific goals for improving the stature of Vietnamese youth; improving physical strength, especially endurance; enhancing health care for children, adolescents and young people to reduce cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diseases causing height abnormalities... To achieve the set goals, the project has also developed and implemented four component programs.

However, after more than 10 years of implementation, many contents of the project have not achieved the set expectations.

Physical education in schools today is still not really given due attention, clearly shown from the lack of facilities, playgrounds to the arrangement of physical education hours.

Physical education plays an important role in improving health, enhancing physical strength and stature; creating a foundation for comprehensive development for students; and also an activity to practice life skills... However, physical education in schools today is still not really given due attention, clearly shown from the lack of facilities, playgrounds to arranging physical education hours...

In particular, most teachers, parents and students consider physical education as a "secondary subject", which reduces the effectiveness and role of physical education in schools. Therefore, in the coming time, localities and units need to have solutions to achieve the goal of physical education, which is to improve health, physical fitness, and form the habit of exercising and playing sports for students.

To overcome difficulties, at the same time promote the achieved results and implement the tasks assigned by the Prime Minister on physical development and school nutrition, the Ministry of Education and Training commits to ensuring proper nutrition and enhancing physical activities for children, pupils and students with specific contents: strengthening the direction of the Departments of Education and Training and schools to seriously implement the tasks assigned by the Prime Minister on ensuring proper nutrition and enhancing physical activities for children, pupils and students to improve health and prevent non-communicable diseases; expanding the school meal model to ensure proper nutrition combined with enhancing physical activities suitable for children and students, especially the pre-pubescent and pubertal age groups. Effectively develop and implement projects, programs and scientific research activities on school nutrition and enhancing physical activities, focusing on disadvantaged areas.

Based on the reality of more than 10 years of implementation, the Office of the Steering Committee for the overall project on physical development and stature of Vietnamese people in the period of 2011-2030 believes that it is necessary to continue implementing the project in the period from now to 2030 with the goals and tasks approved by the Prime Minister. However, the project needs to be allocated funding to ensure the feasibility of key programs: Promoting the implementation of tasks will be an important basis to ensure the achievement of the set goals; funding is needed for the implementation of activities: Scientific research, investigation, survey, construction of centers, pilot models as a basis for large-scale implementation...

Source: https://nhandan.vn/xay-dung-nen-tang-the-luc-cho-the-he-tuong-lai-post870021.html