BANGKOK, 17 July 2015 – The Department of Health is determined to lower the rate of obesity among Thai children by 0.5 percent.
The department has recently held a conference attended by representatives from educational institutions, a child development center, and academics and nutritionists.
The department is aiming to reduce child obesity by 0.5 percent over the next ten years. It also aims to maintain the obesity rate among young children at no more than 9.9 percent per year. Besides obesity, the department has set other youth-oriented goals, such as increasing the average height of female and male students to 165 cm and 175 cm, and their average IQ to above 100.
According to Deputy Director General of the Department of Health Dr. Narong Saiwong, children must receive proper parental care during early development.
His department has funded child care centers nationwide to provide nutritious and healthy lunch menus. Each center has been told to hire a nutritionist and set up a committee to oversee food preparation.
