Child Malnutrition Huge Problem for 4 ASEAN Nations, including Vietnam: Study

A large-scale study has highlighted the "triple burden" of child malnutrition in four Southeast Asian countries, namely Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, local media reported.

After studying 14,000 children aged six months to 12 years in the four countries from 2019 to 2021, the multinational dairy giant FrieslandCampina in collaboration with the University of Indonesia, the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Thailand’s Mahidol University, and Vietnam’s National Institute of Nutrition pointed out that the three burdens of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight/obesity can coexist in the same country and can even occur in the same family.

As many as 70% of the questioned children in these countries did not meet the average needs for calcium and more than 84% did not meet the average vitamin D requirements.

Richard Kiger, managing director of FCV, said that the study results will help to better customize the company’s strategic partnership program with the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam, called "For Vietnam to leap forward and reach higher." The program focuses on nutritional education and the development of physical playgrounds at primary schools nationwide. (VnExpress English)