Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - When it comes to food policy,Vietnam faces a double health burden: The country has seen a rising numberof children with obesity in urban areas, while the number of malnourishedchildren remains high.

Although it has decreased by 1 percent per year, thepercentage of children less than 5 years old affected by stunting (lowheight-for-age) remains high at 24.3 percent nationwide in 2016, according tothe National Institute of Nutrition. Malnutrition rates in children also remainhigh in some regions, especially in the mountainous northern regions (30.3percent) and the Central Highlands (34.2 percent).

A recent study from the institute also shows a sharp increasein the number of overweight school-age children in Vietnam compared to adecade ago.

In HCM City, the percentage of overweight childrenunder 5 years old has tripled in the past decade, from 3.7 percent in 2007 to11.5 percent in 2017, while the percentage of overweight children from grade1-12 has doubled, from 11.6 percent in 2007 to 21.9 percent in 2017.

Overweight children account for 40.7 and 50 percent of thetotal children living in downtown Hanoi and HCM City, respectively,the study shows.

There are about 100,000 overweight children in the majorcities of Hanoi, HCM City, Hai Phong, Can Tho and Da Nang. Moreoverweight children were counted in Hanoi’s inner districts of Hai Ba Trung,Dong Da, and Hoan Kiem than in the outer districts of Hoang Mai and Thanh Xuan,according to the Hanoi Preventive Medicine Centre.

The increased number of overweight children can be attributedto an inactive lifestyle and excessive consumption of low nutrition, high-fatfoods such as fast food and soft drinks, said Dr Le Danh Tuyen, head of theNational Institute of Nutrition.

♋[Infographics: Obesity causes heavy economic losses for Southeast Asia]

Meanwhile, the reason behind the high percentage ofmalnourished children is the traditional diet of most Vietnamese, which doesnot provide enough vitamins and minerals for the children’s physical, mentaland intellectual development, he said.

“The majority of Vietnamese are not aware of the importanceof micronutrients such as vitamin A, iron, zinc, and iodine, which has resultedin a ‘hidden famine’ that affects millions of children,” he said.

Changing the parents’ consumption habits is pivotal tohelping children develop a healthier diet, said Tran Khanh Van, deputy head ofthe institute’s Department of Microbiology.

“Parents should seek to buy more micronutrient supplementsthat are allowed by the Ministry of Health,” she said.

“The family’s daily meals should incorporate different typesof food, which should be chosen carefully to ensure they are rich withmicronutrients,” she added.

Speaking on a different aspect of the issue, Dr Le Danh Tuyensaid young adults should be concerned about nutritional supplementation even beforethey start a family and become parents, as well as during pregnancy.

“Ensuring the right nutrition during the first 1,000 days oflife is crucial to the healthy development of a child,” he said.

“Young women must ensure they receive enough nutrition duringpregnancy, especially iron, for both them and their babies,” he added.

Young mothers should be supplemented with high doses ofvitamin A within the first month after giving birth, Tuyen added. Infantsshould be breastfed during the first two years of life to prevent vitamin Adeficiency.-VNS/VNA