'This
means that obesity rises by one percent every year. If this issue is
unresolved, every single child in Brunei could potentially be obese in the near
future'
Brunei is
facing serious children overweight problem, because one in every two children
from the age of five is either overweight or obese in the sultanate, Hj
Zulkarnain, Brunei's Minister of Health said in a message to mark the World
Obesity Day 2016.
Hj
Zulkarnain said being overweight and obese have "seemingly become the new
normal" among children, and obesity among schoolchildren in Brunei
increased to 18 percent in 2014 from 12 percent in 2008, according to a local
media report on Saturday.
"This
means that obesity rises by one percent every year. If this issue is
unresolved, every single child in Brunei could potentially be obese in the near
future", the minister said. "As a result of obesity, it is entirely
possible that our children may have a shorter life span than their
parents."
He said
obese children in Brunei are increasingly being diagnosed with a range of
health conditions that are mostly seen only in adults. Some examples include
Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep disorders such as having
breathing difficulty during sleep, known as sleep apnoea.
"It
is also worrying that some children have even died at a very young age from
heart attacks," the minister added.
With 62
percent of adults in Brunei overweight and obese, the minister said it is a
problem that cannot be ignored.
Speaking
on the World Obesity Day 2016 theme of "Ending Childhood Obesity",
the minister said obesity prevention and treatment require a
"whole-of-nation approach" in which policies across all sectors take
health into account.
The
minister advised members of the public to take action to improve the health of
their family and themselves through physical activities or reducing their
intake of unhealthy food and drinks.
xinhua
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