KUALA LUMPUR: The risk of Malaysia becoming an ‘obese nation’ is high. The country’s children and teenagers have a dietary problem that needs to be addressed immediately.
Studies conducted by the Nutrition Society of Malaysia revealed that almost 30 percent of children and teenagers aged between six and 17 years are either overweight or obese.
“There’s a big dietary problem among school children and this percentage is a cause for concern.
“If we don’t do something now, when they are 25 years old the problem will still haunt them,” pointed out the society’s president, Dr Tee E.Siong.
The research involving 8,705 primary and secondary school students nationwide also indicated that more male students (32.9 percent) were overweight compared with their female counterparts (24.7 percent).
According to the study one out of four children skipped breakfast, which shows a lack of concern among parents regarding their children’s diet.
Tee said parents who were busy with their careers contribute to the dietary problem with their hands off attitude.
“They just let their children to eat what they like in the canteen and at home, because they supposedly have not time to prepare a proper meal.
“Let’s not forget those who leave it to the grandparents or maid to feed their children,” he added.
Other factors contributing to this include lack of physical activities.
What is even more worrying, according to Dr Tee is that weight issues not only affected those in urban areas but also rural areas too.
“We think that rural children are more free and have more space to play, but that is not always the case.
“Today’s parents and schools place more importance on academics,” he said.
Furthermore, children have packed daily schedules at school and attend extra classes with no time to play or engage in sports.
Because parents are unable to come home early, their children are put under the watchful eye of other adults.
Dr Tee said added that safety issues could also be a reason why children were not free to play outside.
However, he emphasised that a busy lifestyle was no reason to neglect the dietary habits of a child.
“Parents and guardians should spend time to prepare a balanced meal for their children and teach them to practice a healthy diet and lifestyle,” he noted.
MALNUTRITION STILL EXISTS
Meanwhile, forms of malnutrition such as stunting and wasting also exist among Malaysian children.
UNICEF Malaysia representative Marianne Clark-Hattingh said Malaysia is one of the countries in South-East Asia that has been facing dietary related problems, namely overweight and malnutrition.
Quoting the latest statistics from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS 2015), Clark-Hattingh said over seven percent of children under the age of five years were overweight.
The survey also found that eight percent of children from the same age group suffered from malnutrition.
“The causes for overweight and under nutrition are intertwined. The risk of being overweight goes up with increased access to junk food and drinks, eating food with high trans-fat or sugar content and low nutritional value, as well as physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles,” she said.
Malnutrition delays growth in children, causes them to be prone to illness and effects cognitive abilities, preventing them from reaching their true potential.
“Likewise, obesity can also severely hamper a child’s development and quality of life leading to secondary complications such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems, asthma and sleeping disorders,” she added. --Bernama