Govt to formulate guildelines to combat child obesity: Renuka

New Delhi, Apr 24 (UNI) Concerned over increasing obesity and lifestyle related diseases among the children, the Ministry for Women and Child Development is preparing strategies to combat obesity and formulate guidelines to be circulated among the schools and awareness campaign among the parents to check malnutrition.

Inaugurating a Colloquium on Obesity in children and adolescents, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury said a viable strategy would be prepared for effective intervention to combat obesity among children and adolescents.

The Ministry of Women and child Development has decided to hold discussions with nutritional experts, child health specialists, researchers and academicians to suggest initiatives and steps for drafting a nutrition policy for the children.

Underlining the importance of physical activities and sports for child health, Ms Chowdhury said the Ministry would request urban development Ministry and State Governments to consider making the provision for playing space mandatory before approving any housing project. She also urged the processed food industry and fast food manufacturers to encourage whole-wheat and whole-pulp products.

The meeting was attended by about 60 child health and nutritional experts. Presenting the papers, participants stressed the need of immediate measures to check increasing trends of obesity in overweight, as these are associated with incidents of hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease and mortality during the adult life. The objective of the colloquium was to understand the prevalence, trends and factors contributing to obesity and related problems in children and adolescents and to suggest strategy to overcome these.

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