Creating breakthroughs in physical and nutritional care for children.

During discussions at the seminar "Comprehensive Development of the Young Generation of Vietnam - Creating Resources for a New Era" (organized by Nhan Dan Newspaper in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training in Hanoi on May 12th), many delegates shared the view that the work of providing nutrition for children in recent years has revealed numerous shortcomings and inadequacies.

A view of the seminar "Comprehensive Development of Vietnam's Young Generation - Creating Resources for a New Era". (Photo: THẾ ĐẠI)

Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that from 2010 to 2020, the rate of stunting among children under 5 years old in Vietnam decreased from 29.3% to 19.6%, moving from a high to a medium level according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of public health issues.

The rate of stunting among school-aged children (5 to 19 years old) is 14.8% (compared to 23.4% in 2010). This contributes to Vietnam's achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2.2 (SDGs) (reducing the rate of stunting to less than 20%).

Notably, the average height of 18-year-old males reached 168.1cm (an increase of 3.7cm compared to 2010), and females reached 156.2cm (an increase of 2.6cm). This is the result of a sustained nutritional intervention process over many generations, helping Vietnam no longer be among the "shortest in Southeast Asia".

Currently, Vietnam ranks fourth in average height in the region after Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. Meanwhile, according to the 2019 Global Student Health Behavior Survey report, one in four (24.1%) students aged 13 to 17 in Vietnam engage in sufficient physical activity as recommended by the WHO (at least 60 minutes/day, five days a week), which is also a positive change compared to the rate in 2013 (20.5%).

However, current nutritional and physical care for school-aged children in Vietnam still reveals many shortcomings and inadequacies, namely: a double burden of nutrition: although the rate of stunting and underweight malnutrition has decreased, it remains high in rural, mountainous, disadvantaged, and ethnic minority areas; the rate of overweight and obesity in children under 5 years old is 7.4% (9.8% in urban areas; 5.3% in rural areas) and is very high in school-aged children (5 to 19 years old), increasing rapidly, doubling in 10 years (19% in 2020, with a rapid increase of 26.8% in urban and developed areas), accompanied by an increase in metabolic disorders and non-communicable diseases among students.

The double burden of nutrition: although the rate of stunting and underweight malnutrition has decreased, it remains high in rural, mountainous, disadvantaged areas and among ethnic minorities; the rate of overweight and obesity in children under 5 years old is 7.4% (9.8% in urban areas; 5.3% in rural areas) and is very high in school-aged children (5 to 19 years old), increasing rapidly, doubling in 10 years (19% in 2020, with a rapid increase of 26.8% in urban and developed areas), accompanied by increased metabolic disorders and non-communicable diseases among students.

Meanwhile, micronutrient deficiencies (iron, zinc, vitamin D) remain common and quite high, especially among high-risk groups and in disadvantaged, remote, and high-prevalence areas. According to a 2020 survey, the anemia rate among children under 5 years old in Vietnam was 19.6%; the subclinical vitamin A deficiency rate among children under 5 years old was 9.5%; and the zinc deficiency rate was particularly high in children under 5 years old at 58% in 2020.

Furthermore, the quality of school meals is uneven and unbalanced, especially in remote areas and ethnic minority regions; the irrational and unbalanced diet in urban areas, due to the trend of consuming more refined foods, processed foods, fast food, and sugary drinks, has been forming unhealthy eating habits that increase metabolic disorders and non-communicable diseases… This contributes to affecting children's height development, especially for children who are malnourished and stunted in childhood in our country.

The National Strategy on Nutrition for the period 2021-2030 and vision to 2045 has set out several targets for improving nutritional status and height for children and adolescents by 2030, such as: reducing the rate of stunting in children under 5 years old to below 15% (below 23% in mountainous areas); reducing the rate of wasting in children under 5 years old to below 3%; controlling the rate of overweight and obesity with targets for children aged 5 to 8 years old at below 19% (below 27% in urban areas and below 13% in rural areas) by 2030…

Notably, Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW dated September 9, 2025, of the Politburo "On some breakthrough solutions to strengthen the protection, care, and improvement of people's health" also sets goals for improving the physical and intellectual capacity and stature of the people. Specifically, by 2030, the average height of children and adolescents aged 1 to 18 years old will increase by at least 1.5 cm; the vision for 2045 is for the stature, physical fitness, and average height of young people to be equivalent to that of countries with a similar level of development.

Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW dated September 9, 2025, of the Politburo, "On some breakthrough solutions to strengthen the protection, care, and improvement of people's health," also sets goals for improving the physical and intellectual capacity and stature of the people. Specifically, by 2030, the average height of children and adolescents aged 1 to 18 years old will increase by at least 1.5 cm; the vision for 2045 is that the stature, physical fitness, and average height of young people will be equivalent to that of countries with a similar level of development.

To achieve the above objectives, the Ministry of Health spearheaded the development of the Law on Disease Prevention, which was passed by the 15th National Assembly and came into effect on July 1, 2026. The law includes a separate chapter regulating nutrition in disease prevention throughout the life cycle, focusing on nutrition from fetal development to 24 months of age (the first 1,000 days of life) and nutrition for children.

The Ministry of Health is currently advising, developing, and submitting to the Government a Decree detailing several provisions of the Law on Disease Prevention, which clearly stipulates nutritional interventions in disease prevention; early detection, preventive treatment, management of acute malnutrition, and other nutritional measures for children in certain priority groups. The Decree also specifies appropriate nutritional activities and physical activities to be implemented in educational institutions. These are important solutions aimed at gradually protecting, improving, and enhancing the health of Vietnamese children.

On the other hand, nutrition experts also recommend that the health sector, education sector, and local authorities promptly establish job positions and competency standards for school health and nutrition staff; strengthen training and professional development for school health staff, with the goal of each educational institution having at least one dedicated school health officer trained in school nutrition; mobilize ministries, sectors, localities, communities, businesses, and social organizations to participate in investing in and supporting the improvement of facilities and implementing rational nutrition models combined with appropriate physical activity; and standardize technical guidelines such as software for assessing nutritional status and software for creating menus nationwide.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Hong Diem

Department of Disease Prevention (Ministry of Health)

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tao-su-dot-pha-trong-cham-care-the-chat-and-dinh-duong-cho-tre-em-post962921.html