Shanghai authorities have launched a program designed to reduce
obesity among primary school children in the city by significantly
over the next three years.
The health, education and sports bureaus joined forces last week
to tackle the problem, the Laodong Daily reported
yesterday.
A boy eats his lunch at a summer camp for overweight kids in
Shanghai in this
file photo. The camp is designed to teach youngsters about healthy
eating. Niu Yixin
The bureaus will first conduct a survey to find out how many
obese students there are. Dieticians will then help design healthy
menus for them.
The municipal bureaus will also provide advice on diets to
school cooks and launch "nutrition knowledge promotion stands" on
campuses warning of the harmful effects of junk food.
A survey conducted recently by the health bureau showed 15
percent of boys and 9 percent of girls aged seven to 18 were
overweight. Both figures are higher than the national averages of
11 percent and 5 percent, respectively.
Experts attribute childhood obesity to unhealthy dietary habits,
insufficient physical exercise, inadequate sleep and excessive
amounts of salt in meals.
"Children like hamburgers, French fries and other foods that are
high in calories and fat," Wang Shixiong, a pediatrician at
Shanghai Xinhua Hospital, said.
"They don't like vegetables or fruits and don't eat sufficient
staple foods," he said.
Obese kids are more prone to cardiovascular diseases and
diet-related illnesses, such as diabetes, than children of normal
weight, Wang said.
Gu Chen, a teacher at Guangming Middle School in Shanghai, said
both school and family should play roles in educating children
about the dangers of obesity and diabetes.
"For example, at our school, students are encouraged to do at
least one hour of physical exercise every day," he said.
(China Daily February 20, 2008)
