Childrenexerciseduringaweight-losingsummercampinShenyang,Liaoningprovince,China.
Asianchildrenarebecomingincreasinglyunder-nourishedorobese,anewreportsays.
TheUnitedNationsChildren’sFund(UNICEF)andtheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)jointreportwasreleasedMonday.
Thetwoagenciescallforbetterregulationofjunkfoodandalimitonsugarydrinksforchildren.
Theyalsocallforactionagainstmalnutrition.Alackoffoodhasstuntedchildren—orhurttheirdevelopment–wholiveinpoverty.
ThereportsaysthecostsofchildmalnutritionandobesityinSoutheastAsiaaregreat.Theseproblemsareseeninthemiddle-incomecountriesofIndonesia,Malaysia,thePhilippinesandThailand.
InIndonesia,thereportsays,childmalnutritionhurtschilddevelopmentandleadstodiseasesthatcost$248billionayear.
DorothyFooteisaUNICEFregionalnutritionalspecialist.Shesaidtheproblemsarea“burgeoningcrisis”—oronethatisgrowing.Itcoversbothchildnutritionandthegeneralpopulation,shesaid.
“AtUNICEFweareparticularlyconcernedaboutchildren,butingeneral,wedohaveacrisis.That’sgoingtoaffectnotonlyfamiliesandcommunitiesbutalsogovernmentsandsocieties,thatthecostsofthe‘doubleburden’aretremendous,”FootetoldVOA.
Thereportfoundthatinmostcountries,thereareequalamountsofoverweightandunder-nourishedchildren.Forexample,inIndonesia,12percentofchildrenareoverweight,thesamenumberasthosewhoaremalnourished.
InThailand,itsaysnumbersareincreasingwith7percentofchildrenmalnourishedand11percentoverweight.
Footesaidthereisstilla“tremendousburden,”withlackofnutrition,“bothchronicandacute.”Thatmeanstheproblemisongoing,andsevere.Thelevelsofstuntingareveryserious.
Laoshasthehighestnumberofstuntedchildren,with44percent.HighratesarealsoreportedinCambodia,Myanmar,thePhilippinesandIndonesia.
Thereportsaysmostofthem—12millionofthe17millionstuntedchildreninSoutheastAsia--liveinIndonesiaandthePhilippines.
Footesaidthelackoffoodaffectschildren’sheightanddevelopmentinsidetheirbodies.Butatthesametime,theareaisfacing“skyrocketing”levelsofoverweightchildren.
Themainreasonforthefoodproblems,thereportsays,isthereismore“junk”foodavailable,foodthatdoesnotprovidenutrition.Anotherproblemisdrinkswithhighsugarorhightrans-fat,butlownutritionalvalue.
Lackofphysicalactivityisalsopartoftheproblem,thereportsays.
Theagenciessaytheseproblemsexistdespiteyearsofeconomicdevelopment.SoutheastAsiaisseenasakeyeconomicdriverfortheworldeconomy.Butthegap,ordistance,betweenrichandpoorhasgrown.
Footesaidthisisseeninnutritionacrossthearea.Shesaidpeoplelackknowledgeaboutwhatisneededandnormalforhealthychilddevelopment.
Theeconomicgrowthintheareahasbrought“unhealthyproducts”toruralareas.Poorandmiddle-classfamiliesbuythemanddonotmake“therightchoicestousehealthierfoodsinstead.”Poorfeedingpractices,especiallyforchildrenyoungerthantwo,meanongoinghighlevelsofmalnutrition.
Thereportsaysgovernmentsneedtoregulatethemarketingofjunkfoodandsugarydrinkstochildren.
Italsocallsforbetterfeedingpracticesforinfantsandyoungchildren,andtreatmentforseverelymalnourishedchildren.Anditsayscountriesshouldworktoreducepovertyandmakesurethatgirlsstayinschool.
malnutrition–n.unhealthyconditionduetolackofproperfood,nutrition,noteatingenoughoftherightfoods
stunted–v.someoneorsomethingstoppedfromgrowingordeveloping
burden–n.somethingorsomeoneverydifficulttoaccept,doordealwith
skyrocketing–idiom.movingupquickly,likearocketclimbsintothesky
