One in four children in Asia is obese, study shows

One in every four children in Asia in the 10 to 12-year-old age bracket is obese or overweight, an Asian study revealed.

The data of the study were revealed yesterday by the youth group Kabataan Sectoral Party, whose vice president, Carl Marc Ramota, urged for the pullout of soft drinks and other unhealthy food products from Philippine schools.

The youth group raised concern over obesity problems among schoolchildren as it asked local beverage and food companies to follow their counterparts’ example in the United States by pulling out unhealthy products in schools.

As a recent survey showed a sharp rise in the number of Filipinos who are going hungry, the Kabataan Sectoral Party also expressed alarm over a parallel problem of obesity emerging among Filipino children and students.

"Although the prevalence rates of overweight or obese children are not as high as the underweight, it should no longer be ignored at this time. Obesity is now starting to plague even the young age groups which can have more devastating effects in their later life," Ramota said.

He cited a study made by the Asian Food Information Center on weight problems among Asian urban children, which revealed that one in every four children was overweight or obese.

The report was based on interviews with children aged 10 to 12 years old in Manila, and other Asian cities.

Ramota attributed the weight problem to the lack of physical activity or exercise among children.

He also pointed out the "too easy" access to unhealthy food, which include sodas and junk food, in schools, as the one largely responsible for a growing number of overweight and obesity incidents among Filipino children.

"Unfortunately, our schools and the Department of Education (DepEd) do not conduct strict monitoring of what their students are actually eating," he said.

Ramota also said DepEd does not have any stringent regulatory policy on the selling of these unhealthy foods in school canteens and food stalls.

Ramota said the DepEd even signed a partnership agreement with a popular beverage company for the delivery of textbooks to schools throughout the country last year, making it easier for that company to promote and sell its products to public schools nationwide.

He said the promotion of healthy lifestyle, strict regulations on the part of the DepEd and the cooperation of the beverage industry and other food companies can reverse the alarming trend of obesity and overweight cases.