As overweight and obesity become a rising concern among children in the country, a nutrition manager from the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Philippines stressed the importance of a whole-of-society approach to address and mitigate the risks of this health concern.
In an online interview with Inquirer, Alice Nkoroi sounded the alarm on the rising trend of overweight and obesity among children, citing 2023 data from the National Nutrition Survey released last year, which showed that 12.9% of school-age children aged five to 10 years, and 12.5% of adolescents aged 10 to 19, have overweight and obesity.
‘When you come to the Philippines, you’ll see that obesity and overweight have tripled over the past two decades. In 2003 compared to today, there has been a very rapid increase in overweight and obesity over the past 20 years,’ Nkoroi noted.
Nkoroi attributed the rapid increase of overweight and obesity among children to their diet and the environment they live in.
She pointed out the ‘major shift’ in children’s diets, which now mainly consist of readily available unhealthy and processed foods, while healthier options tend to be more expensive and less accessible to many Filipinos.
According to the World Health Organization, the dietary pattern of children in low- and middle-income countries-including diets high in fat, sugar, salt, and energy-dense foods, coupled with lower levels of physical activity-‘results in sharp increases in childhood obesity while undernutrition issues remain unsolved.’
Health, learning risks
Nkoroi highlighted the risks that obesity and overweight could pose to Filipino children, particularly to their health and education.
‘It is an alarming situation because an unhealthy diet leads to all forms of malnutrition. Increasing obesity means that children at an early age are exposed to NCDs [non-communicable diseases] such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at the same time,’ she said.
She added that children exposed to unhealthy foods consume fewer nutrients, which can lead to other forms of malnutrition, such as micronutrient deficiencies. In addition, she said these children may face bullying in schools, ‘a situation that is quite alarming and means children really do not grow well as they should.’
Nkoroi stressed that children exposed to unhealthy foods may not be able to concentrate properly in school as they are not receiving essential nutrients such as iron, ‘which is very critical for learning.’
She also said that children who are more likely to develop NCDs may spend more time being unwell, which can further affect their learning.
Mitigation
Nkoroi outlined how a ‘whole-of-society’ approach can address this growing health concern through proper promotion of breastfeeding, regulation of food marketing, strict implementation of healthy food policies, and subsidizing healthy food for low-income families.
She said that because many healthy food options are more expensive and less accessible than unhealthy ones, fruits and vegetables could be subsidized under social protection programs like the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program.
Additionally, the government must monitor strict implementation of the Milk Code of the Philippines, which promotes breastfeeding by regulating breast milk substitutes and related products.
She also stressed the importance of proper food marketing, particularly front-of-pack labeling, ‘so that consumers and families are able to understand and make informed choices about what is healthy and unhealthy.’ Several health advocates have repeatedly pushed for a bill requiring food warning labels to promote a healthy lifestyle among Filipinos.
Acknowledging the significance of education, Nkoroi said that creating a healthy school environment where only nutritious foods are sold or offered is important.
‘Those are the systems that need to be put in place to help consumers. Families can do something by promoting or exposing their children to a healthy diet and limiting them to unhealthy food, but this is not only the responsibility of the family; they need protective programs and environments to support them,’ she noted.
‘The food industry is a major provider of food. The most important thing for the food industry is following laws that the government puts in place to make sure the foods they produce are wholesome and healthy,’ she added.