DOST urges schools to stop selling highly processed food, beverages to curb student obesity

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Monday called on schools to stop the selling of highly processed food and beverages in their canteens to help address the rising obesity rates among students.

DOST Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) senior science specialist Dr. Eva Goyena stressed that schools played a critical role in enhancing the knowledge and practice of children concerning healthy eating.

“Healthy food environments dapat ipatupad lalong-lalo na ngayon. ‘Yung healthy school program o healthy school canteens kung saan iwasan, i-eliminate, at huwag pong magtinda ng mga highly processed food… at ‘yung mga sugar sweet beverages,” she said in a public briefing.

(Healthy food environments should be set up especially now. The healthy school program or healthy school canteens should be implemented to avoid, eliminate, or stop the selling of highly processed foods... and sugar-sweet beverages.)

She also said that schools should inculcate the importance of physical activities and regular exercise in students.

Goyena, who made her appeal to the Department of Health (DOH) last Tuesday, reported an increase in the obesity rate among both adults and children in the country in the past two years amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the DOST-FNRI's 2021 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS), the obesity rate among children aged 0 to 5 was at 3.9%, while that of children aged 5 to 10 was at 14%.

“‘Yun ang very evident sa data natin na nagsisismulang tumaas ang overweight obesity sa edad na ‘yung bata nasa school-age group,” Goyena said.

(It is very evident in our data that overweight obesity begins to increase when a child is in the school-age group.)

Meanwhile, 10% of adults aged 20 to 59 were obese. Of those aged 60 and above, 6.2% were obese, and 11.8% have chronic energy deficiency.

Goyena said that it is the over-consumption of energy-dense food like sweet and fatty food, combined with low physical inactivity, that could result in overweight obesity. — DVM, GMA Integrated News