Rather young, and weight is their worry

NST: Too fat? Too thin?
Common questions we all ask ourselves.
But now, even children as young as seven are worrying about their figures.
Two studies of children aged four to 12 have found that up to a third of them were worried about their weight.
In her talk on the Eating Habits and Nutritional Status of Malaysian Adolescents, Dr Norimah A. Karim said mothers play the most important role in the development of the child’s self-image, followed by friends and the children’s favourite celebrities.
Teachers play the least important role.
Dr Norimah, a council member of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, said that in a study of 220 Malay primary schools in 2004, 32 per cent of the pupils were worried about their weight.
A 2005 study of 157 Chinese schools found that 26 per cent of the primary school pupils were concerned.
The nine-year-olds were the most anxious — 40 per cent in the Chinese schools and 32 per cent in Malay schools.
Among 10-year-olds, this had dropped to 21 per cent among the Chinese and 29 per cent among the Malays.
Rokiah Don, senior assistant director of the Family Health Development Division, Ministry of Health, said in her paper on Promoting Healthy Eating Habits in Schools that a 2003 study found that one in five Malaysian adolescents was overweight or obese, and teenage obesity is a bigger problem in urban rather than rural areas.
Dr Norimah blamed snacking on junk food and skipping breakfast, while Dr Nik Shanita Safii added a sedentary lifestyle to the list.
In her talk on the Benefits of Good Nutrition, Dr Nik Shanita, the treasurer of the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity, said too many children spend too much time watching television and playing computer games.
She added that good eating habits started in the teenage years would be carried into adulthood.
Dr Norimah said that rice meals are the favourite among adolescents, but two per cent confessed to eating fast food every day, and nearly half eat it at least once a month.
Rokiah said the Health Ministry has faced an uphill battle introducing healthier food into school canteens.
Despite listing what may and may not be sold and trying to exclude junk food, most operators are still selling it.
Responding to a question about the hawkers who sell junk food outside the schools, she said that her department had called the local authorities, who pass them from one department to the other.
No one wants to accept the responsibility.
The seminar on Adolescents and Nutrition for secondary school teachers was held in conjunction with Nutrition Month Malaysia, which begins today.
Sponsors were the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, Malaysian Dieticians Association and Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity.