HCM CITY — More than 10,000 students in 12 primary schools in the south-eastern province of Bình Dương attended a programme on nutrition education and physical development which ended on Monday.

The programme, which began on August 28, was held by the province Health Education and Communication Centre in co-operation with dairy company FrieslandCampina Việt Nam.

Educational experts and nutritionists from the centre and company taught the students the basics of proper nutrition and exercising and told them about the benefits of drinking milk.

A child should drink two glasses of milk every day and have physical activities for one hour for comprehensive physical and intellectual development, the experts said.

The students were also taught that they should not skip a single meal. They should eat three proper meals every day comprising all four groups of essential nutrients, namely carbohydrates, protein, fat, and vitamins, they were told.

This knowledge was instilled through interesting talks and plays, with the talks ending with flash mobs.

The programme also provided 10,000 glasses of milk to the attending students.

Each student should have physical activities in one hour which are helpful for comprehensively physical and intellectual development. — Photo Courtesy of FrieslandCampina Việt Nam

The programme on nutrition education and physical development was aimed at reducing the rates of malnutrition and obesity among pre-school and school-aged children.

It also hoped to prevent a deficiency of calcium and micronutrients in the children.

It also helped improve their awareness and habits.

The programme was held as part of a campaign called Nutrition-Exercising-Healthy initiated by FrieslandCampina Việt Nam based on the concept of daily diet, nutrition and exercise affecting a child greatly.

According to a survey on nutrition in Southeast Asia conducted by FrieslandCampina Việt Nam in co-operation with Việt Nam’s National Institute of Nutrition, more than 50 per cent of children under 12 do not get enough calcium, vitamins A, B1 and C and iron from their daily meals and drinks.

A shortage of vitamin D too persists though the country gets a lot of sunshine.

While rural areas have a problem of malnutrition and shortage of micronutrients, obesity and overweight are on an upward trend in urban areas.

School age is the time for children to rapidly develop their physical strength, brain and personality. —VNS