Some Asian children are becoming increasingly fat, a new report says. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) joint report was released on Monday. The two agencies call for better regulation of junk food and a limit on sugary drinks for children. They also call for action against malnutrition (营养不良), because a lack of food has prevented children who live in poverty growing normally and healthily-or rather, hurts their development.
Dorothy Foote is a UNICEF regional nutritional specialist. She says the lack of food affects children's height and development inside their bodies. But at the same time, the area is facing high levels of overweight children.
The main reason for the food problems, the report says, is that there is more junk food available, which does not provide nutrition. Another problem is drinks with high sugar or high trans-fat, but low nutritional value. Lack of physical activity is also part of the problem, the report adds.
Foote says this is seen in nutrition across the area. She says people lack knowledge about what is needed and normal for healthy children's development.
The economic growth in the area has brought unhealthy products to rural areas. Poor and middle-class families buy them and do not make the right choices to use healthier foods instead. Poor feeding practices, especially for children younger than two, mean ongoing high levels of malnutrition.
The report says governments need to regulate the marketing of junk food and sugary drinks to children. It also calls for better feeding practices for infants and young children, and treatment for severely malnourished children. And it says the countries should work to reduce poverty and make sure that children stay in school.
