Obesity increases sharply in Vietnamese people aged 5-19

At the 4th Vietnam Community Nutrition Day, organized by the Health and Life newspaper, held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 11, Professor Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, said that scientific nutrition not only prevents diseases but is also the key to sustainable development.

Vietnam has achieved many successes in improving and enhancing the quality of nutrition for its people, but there are still many challenges ahead.

Malnutrition rates in mountainous areas remain high, with 38% of children stunted in some areas. At the same time, the rate of overweight and obesity in urban areas such as Ho Chi Minh City has exceeded 20%, leading to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic disorders. Among them, there are many types of cancer.

Obesity causes many accompanying diseases (Photo: Hoang Le).

"In just 10 years, the rate of overweight and obesity in the 5-19 age group has doubled, from 8.5% in 2010 to 19% in 2020. Of the total adult population, the rate of obesity is up to 25%. This is a very alarming number," Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan warned.

Furthermore, according to the Deputy Minister of Health , the trend of consuming processed foods and soft drinks among young people is increasing, while physical exercise is not given much attention. This requires us to take more drastic actions, not only at the policy level but also in each family and each community.

In that context, the Ministry of Health has deployed a series of solutions. The annual "Nutrition and Development" Week in response to World Food Day has spread the message of healthy diet and physical activity.

The "Nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life" program has been promoted to ensure children's comprehensive development. The Ministry of Health also issued "10 tips for proper nutrition until 2030", recommending that people eat enough, diverse foods, limit fried foods, fast foods, and maintain an active lifestyle.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan (3rd from left) and the organizing committee opened the 4th Vietnam Community Nutrition Day (Photo: Organizing Committee).

Vietnam is also committed to international integration, participating in the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement since 2014 and the "ASEAN Joint Declaration on Ending Malnutrition" since 2017.

These efforts demonstrate Vietnam's determination to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2, which is to eradicate hunger and end all forms of malnutrition by 2030.

Health Ministry leaders called on people to start with small changes - a healthier meal, an hour of exercise a day - to create big changes for the whole society.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/benh-beo-phi-tang-manh-o-nguoi-viet-5-19-tuoi-20250511095939241.htm