Vietnamese growing taller

From WIRE REPORTS

          Adults in Viet Nam now average 5’3 ½”,
higher than adults 35 years ago, according to a national nutritional survey.

          The survey, issued by the National Institute of Nutrition, reports that the
average height of children under age 1 has increased by 0.55 inches (boys) and 0.71
inches (girls) in the past 10 years. Children 3 and older also are taller.

          The
average heights of Vietnamese men and women are nearly 5’5” for men and 5’½” for women.

          According to the survey, the
consumption of fish, eggs, meat and milk by the Vietnamese also has increased
over the past 10 years while vegetable consumption has diminished.

          Additionally,
one out of every three children under 5 suffers from malnutrition, which fears
that could lead to serious developmental defects, the survey says.

          About
17.5 percent of preschool children (1.3 million) are underweight and 29.3
percent (2.1 million) experienced stunted growth in 2010.

          Children
in remote areas suffer from malnutrition at a rate twice as high as those who
grew up in more developed regions of the country.

          Other
scientific studies have proven that the effects of malnutrition go beyond the
potential growth rate of individual children, but can also have an impact on
the social and economic development of the country.

          Conversely,
childhood obesity rates for kids under 5 also have risen by 600 percent since
2006, according to the survey. The rate of obese children now averages nearly 6
percent, with rates at least double that reported in urban areas such as Ha Noi
and Sai Gon.

          The
survey included more than 37,000 people from 8,400 households in 63 cities and
provinces nationwide.