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02-01-2022, 04:34 PM
Singapore children are getting fatter and it’s worrying especially during a pandemic
Many obesity-related healthcare problems are preventable, and children are at an ideal stage of early intervention, says Thomson Paediatric Centre’s Lim Yang Chern.
SINGAPORE: As a paediatrician assessing children with acute COVID-19 infection for their suitability for home recovery during this pandemic, it struck me that a worrying proportion appeared overweight.
As part of any paediatric assessment, we routinely ask for their weight as dosage of medications is often based on weight.
By my estimate, about one in five kids I saw was overweight (body mass index over 85th percentile) or worse, obese (above 95th percentile). One child in primary school was even morbidly obese, that is, the Body Mass Index (BMI) was higher than 99 per cent of children of the same age.
What I am seeing in my clinic is reflective of national data and it worries me. About 13 per cent of Singapore schoolchildren were obese in 2017, up from 11 per cent in 2013, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH)’s National Population Health Survey when data on childhood obesity was last captured.
The pandemic has made things worse. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital reported seeing more cases of overweight children since COVID-19 hit.
This might be due to a more sedentary lifestyle amid restrictions. Schoolchildren couldn’t mingle with friends in other classes during recess, participate in group activities like PE and co-curricular activities or when they were stuck at home for home-based learning.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commenta...ry-2375601
Many obesity-related healthcare problems are preventable, and children are at an ideal stage of early intervention, says Thomson Paediatric Centre’s Lim Yang Chern.
SINGAPORE: As a paediatrician assessing children with acute COVID-19 infection for their suitability for home recovery during this pandemic, it struck me that a worrying proportion appeared overweight.
As part of any paediatric assessment, we routinely ask for their weight as dosage of medications is often based on weight.
By my estimate, about one in five kids I saw was overweight (body mass index over 85th percentile) or worse, obese (above 95th percentile). One child in primary school was even morbidly obese, that is, the Body Mass Index (BMI) was higher than 99 per cent of children of the same age.
What I am seeing in my clinic is reflective of national data and it worries me. About 13 per cent of Singapore schoolchildren were obese in 2017, up from 11 per cent in 2013, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH)’s National Population Health Survey when data on childhood obesity was last captured.
The pandemic has made things worse. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital reported seeing more cases of overweight children since COVID-19 hit.
This might be due to a more sedentary lifestyle amid restrictions. Schoolchildren couldn’t mingle with friends in other classes during recess, participate in group activities like PE and co-curricular activities or when they were stuck at home for home-based learning.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commenta...ry-2375601
