Child malnutrition rate remains high in Thailand

[webfact]

Child malnutrition rate remains high in Thailand
By Digital Content

BANGKOK, May 27 -- The rate of child malnutrition in Thailand has increased, between 2006 and 2012, according to a survey on the situation of children and women in Thailand.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Thailand announced the survey on Tuesday, revealing that the rate of malnutrition among children in Thailand in 2012 remained high compared with that in 2006.

The survey, conducted with children and women in 27,000 households nationwide in 2012, shows children in the Northeastern and Southern regions are more underweight and stunted than those in other parts of the country, while children in the Central region have higher rates of obesity than those in other regions.

The finding also reveals only 75.1 per cent of all children aged 12-23 months were vaccinated against all diseases and that infants under the age of 6 months are breastfed 5.4 per cent more compared to the rate in 2006. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-05-27

[Bangmod]

That's what you get if you do not pay your farmers, and they do not have money to buy other then eat only their own rice, and show on tv and in the Thai papers the 1 sided PT policies.

education for this people was way behind, advertising and corruption income had a priority

[JeremyBowskill]

I find the "75.1 per cent of all children aged 12-23 months were vaccinated against all diseases" to be much higher than I would have expected, would have thought it would have been much lower.

[kannon99]

- Enforce the WHO code of standards for correct advertising for milk substitutes.

- Teach nurses, midwives, and doctors real breastfeeding education, not education supplied by the formula companies or the measly 4 hr of education in med school.

- Enact laws that protect the breastfeeding mother, supply breastpumps and milk storage options, and decent amounts of time for moms to pump at work.

- Allow for 6 months maternity leave so babies can get the WHO recommended minimum of six months being exclusively breastfed.

- Support birthing practices that don't hinder or alter the breastfeeding dyad.

Babies that have a fabulous beginning with breastmilk will have a much higher chance of survival and growth.

[chainarong]

While reforms are underway this is another area to tackle for the government , something in the order of primary/ secondary schools being allocated funds for nutritious drinks and food, administered by the health department, for the children whilst at school, I target this area, as the scheme is uncontrollable in any other form and even in this form of assistance I have no confidence that it would be completely corrupt free.

[worgeordie]

Could be that the price of rice is artificially high and the poor

people cannot afford to buy it ,and therefore the children don't

get enough to eat,Rice is the staple food here,eaten 3 times

a day by Thais,so while the stock piles are degrading (to put it

mildly )the kids are starving,who thought of this great idea !

regards Worgeordie

[Usual Suspect]

I tried to explain to my wife about nutrition & good food/bad food for her kids many years ago..she got as though she understood most of what I was trying to tell her, & she in turn told her mum...then the plan all crumbled when we found out that for years while my wife's mum was taking care of the kids (as is often the case in Issan)..the youngsters had been eating rice,rice,rice with the occasional egg & a token amount of meat...

...most of the money my wife sent back home to good ole mum for food & clothing etc for the kids had been duly spent on lottery tickets every week/month..!! TiT.

[Loles]

To be a poor family's kid in Th is a very dangerous and degrading situation.

All my sympathy with them.

Their school is like a pig-stay, their teachers (mostly) are weak and brutish, their possibility to a normal health-care is Zero, to get a good job later and to go up is also Zero chance.

It is a very big shame.

[NeilSA1]

"The rate of child malnutrition in Thailand has increased, between 2006 and 2012"

Very sad. Any correlation with the government at the time, who apparently genuininely cared for the poor?

[Loles]

I tried to explain to my wife about nutrition & good food/bad food for her kids many years ago..she got as though she understood most of what I was trying to tell her, & she in turn told her mum...then the plan all crumbled when we found out that for years while my wife's mum was taking care of the kids (as is often the case in Issan)..the youngsters had been eating rice,rice,rice with the occasional egg & a token amount of meat...

...most of the money my wife sent back home to good ole mum for food & clothing etc for the kids had been duly spent on lottery tickets every week/month..!! TiT.

TII

(this is isaan)

[Lancelot]

Is the problem poverty or poor food choices? Look at the vendors selling sugary snacks out side of schools and take note of their many chubby customers. The same "malnutrition" problems exist in the USA, in that poor kids forgo fruit, fresh vegetables and milk for candy bars, potato chips and soft drinks.

People often make poor choices in the foods they purchase and consume...

[retsdon]

The cost of staple foods has gone up massively over the last few years. People at the bottom end of the earnings scale will have been hit accordingly. Add in that 'necessities' for most people now apparently include smartphones, tablets, etc, and you can see how the food budget would get squeezed.

[bigbamboo]

You expected the government to spend money on the farmers AND children when the corporates were having to pay tax at 30 per cent?

Something had to give.

[wvavin]

Its pitifully sad to be poor in Thailand. The world just crumbles on you as they grow older. Dignity, Fame, etc belong to the wealthy.

[Longtooth]

I tried to explain to my wife about nutrition & good food/bad food for her kids many years ago..she got as though she understood most of what I was trying to tell her, & she in turn told her mum...then the plan all crumbled when we found out that for years while my wife's mum was taking care of the kids (as is often the case in Issan)..the youngsters had been eating rice,rice,rice with the occasional egg & a token amount of meat...

...most of the money my wife sent back home to good ole mum for food & clothing etc for the kids had been duly spent on lottery tickets every week/month..!! TiT.

Yep, many poor Thais think rice is all you have to feed a kid, probably because that's all they were fed as a kid. I heard beans compliment rice, protein wise, but I never checked for sure, not that that's very pertinent to Thailand. Then, everybody gives kids hard sugar candy, like it's some kind of treat.... banks, school, friends... kid's hungry--- crunchy, empty snacks or "joke" (more rice). hmmmm.

[attento]

healthy children begins with healthy pregnant mothers. Basic nutrition education is essential. Rice alone is not an adequate nutritionally balanced food. My guess is that many expectant and young mothers follow the poor advice of their family, in the absence of education. Isn't that the Thai way ?

[Bosse137]

Yeah,"poor farmers"...New cars and spending money on snacks,before and after school every day! I know,you can be undernourished and fat at the same time,but do not blame it on lack of money! There is money for parties,telephones,even for letting small children play around with motorcycles all day!!I would say it is a matter of choice what to do with what you have.Education? I think most people nowadays know,that eating snacks and drinking soda is not healthy.But do they care???? Finally,of course there are some,who are dirtpoor,and do not have much choice,but that has to be an absolute minority.PS,I live in a small easaan village,since more than 20 years,so do not say I have no idea of life there!

[thailiketoo]

I don't get it. I see all these little fat kids running around. Rice is basically free from the family farm and the vegetables are grown in the back yard like weeds and the chickens run around everywhere. Where is the problem? The only thing I see wrong is many mothers don't breast feed the children or children are raised by granny who has lost some mental capacity.

[keestha]

What Thai families eat at home, is often not such a well balanced diet. A lot of protein (meat, eggs, fish), but not much vitamins, they don't eat much vegetables.

[gemini81]

Selecting rubbish food. There are middle class obese people in developed countries who hate vegetables and love McDonalds. You can be dirt poor and have your vegetables and fruit and food groups in Thailand. Choices......

[jpeg]

Is the problem poverty or poor food choices? Look at the vendors selling sugary snacks out side of schools and take note of their many chubby customers. The same "malnutrition" problems exist in the USA, in that poor kids forgo fruit, fresh vegetables and milk for candy bars, potato chips and soft drinks.

People often make poor choices in the foods they purchase and consume...

Aisle after aisle of 'snack food'. M&P shops with tiers of 'snack food'. Nary a piece of fruit in sight.

[thailiketoo]

What Thai families eat at home, is often not such a well balanced diet. A lot of protein (meat, eggs, fish), but not much vitamins, they don't eat much vegetables.

I must live in some parallel universe because every Thai home that I see has vegetables growing in the back yard and every Thai meal I eat has vegetables. I'm not saying you are wrong. I just saying I don't see it. Chickens running wild everywhere and peppers all over and vegetables growing like weeds. Fruit in season 10 baht it's not like we are talking big bucks here.

[edgarfriendly]

these are all very poingant facts.

no matter what you say, show or do for thai people - it is down to them to make their own choices.

to prevent my children learning to be retarded i now stay at home and educate them myself, feed them myself and they are the light years ahead of ANY of the older kids who run up and down our soi eating junk and dumping the rubbish everywhere.

the real issue is how to prevent them being peer-pressured into conforming when you are not around.

their own parents and grandparents would be happy to see them go without for just a few hundred baht that they can gamble with or spend on themselves

the way i see it, and ive been here nearly 2 decades, is its an absolute free for all - take what you can, give nothing back - show no remorse or even comprehension when confronted

very 'animalistic'

and quite demoralising, when you are a father.

its all gimme gimme gimme - and theyre only waiting for us to die so they can sell our stuff to pay for more plastic junk that they dont need but looks 'narak, na'

[belg]

in both cases, under & overfed, that is what the leaders want in this country... people you can mold and who will not rebel and obey like cattle

[JohnnyJazz]

What Thai families eat at home, is often not such a well balanced diet. A lot of protein (meat, eggs, fish), but not much vitamins, they don't eat much vegetables.

I must live in some parallel universe because every Thai home that I see has vegetables growing in the back yard and every Thai meal I eat has vegetables. I'm not saying you are wrong. I just saying I don't see it. Chickens running wild everywhere and peppers all over and vegetables growing like weeds. Fruit in season 10 baht it's not like we are talking big bucks here.

At least there is someone living in the same country as I do.

Thailand is a successful country not because of its superior culture or their smart elite but because the land is rich (and the sea too).

There is a serious problem of education when it come to food. Sorry to be so rude but their cooked food stings and is unhealthy and disgusting. Fruits, meat and vegetable for an healthy diet are widely available, it's only a problem of education.

[thailiketoo]

What Thai families eat at home, is often not such a well balanced diet. A lot of protein (meat, eggs, fish), but not much vitamins, they don't eat much vegetables.

I must live in some parallel universe because every Thai home that I see has vegetables growing in the back yard and every Thai meal I eat has vegetables. I'm not saying you are wrong. I just saying I don't see it. Chickens running wild everywhere and peppers all over and vegetables growing like weeds. Fruit in season 10 baht it's not like we are talking big bucks here.

At least there is someone living in the same country as I do.

Thailand is a successful country not because of its superior culture or their smart elite but because the land is rich (and the sea too).

There is a serious problem of education when it come to food. Sorry to be so rude but their cooked food stings and is unhealthy and disgusting. Fruits, meat and vegetable for an healthy diet are widely available, it's only a problem of education.

I don't get it. The staple of poor Thai people is Som Tom. Fresh green mango and crab and peppers. Loaded with Vitamins. How can they not get vitamins? I have never met a Thai woman who could go a day without Som Tom. My Thai dog even eats Som Tom.

[JohnnyJazz]

I don't get it. The staple of poor Thai people is Som Tom. Fresh green mango and crab and peppers. Loaded with Vitamins. How can they not get vitamins? I have never met a Thai woman who could go a day without Som Tom. My Thai dog even eats Som Tom.

I' m going to get killed here by the food expert and I admit I'm totally out of my league.

Anyway Greece has the best reputation when it come to healthy food, what prevents Thailand to offer the same?

[Thai at Heart]

I don't get it. The staple of poor Thai people is Som Tom. Fresh green mango and crab and peppers. Loaded with Vitamins. How can they not get vitamins? I have never met a Thai woman who could go a day without Som Tom. My Thai dog even eats Som Tom.

I' m going to get killed here by the food expert and I admit I'm totally out of my league.

Anyway Greece has the best reputation when it come to healthy food, what prevents Thailand to offer the same?

I fail to see the big difference between grilled fish, salad and bread in Greece and grilled fish, chicken, somtaam and sticky rice.

Malnutrition in Thailand is an embarrassment.

[h90]

- Enforce the WHO code of standards for correct advertising for milk substitutes.

- Teach nurses, midwives, and doctors real breastfeeding education, not education supplied by the formula companies or the measly 4 hr of education in med school.

- Enact laws that protect the breastfeeding mother, supply breastpumps and milk storage options, and decent amounts of time for moms to pump at work.

- Allow for 6 months maternity leave so babies can get the WHO recommended minimum of six months being exclusively breastfed.

- Support birthing practices that don't hinder or alter the breastfeeding dyad.

Babies that have a fabulous beginning with breastmilk will have a much higher chance of survival and growth.

you know that a 6 month maternity leave will erease all the hopes for a good job for women? A step 200 years into the past.

How about allowance for half time work and bringing the baby to work where possible?

[h90]

What Thai families eat at home, is often not such a well balanced diet. A lot of protein (meat, eggs, fish), but not much vitamins, they don't eat much vegetables.

I must live in some parallel universe because every Thai home that I see has vegetables growing in the back yard and every Thai meal I eat has vegetables. I'm not saying you are wrong. I just saying I don't see it. Chickens running wild everywhere and peppers all over and vegetables growing like weeds. Fruit in season 10 baht it's not like we are talking big bucks here.

At least there is someone living in the same country as I do.

Thailand is a successful country not because of its superior culture or their smart elite but because the land is rich (and the sea too).

There is a serious problem of education when it come to food. Sorry to be so rude but their cooked food stings and is unhealthy and disgusting. Fruits, meat and vegetable for an healthy diet are widely available, it's only a problem of education.

I don't get it. The staple of poor Thai people is Som Tom. Fresh green mango and crab and peppers. Loaded with Vitamins. How can they not get vitamins? I have never met a Thai woman who could go a day without Som Tom. My Thai dog even eats Som Tom.

some of my staff live almost complete from 7/11 fast food and of course they look like baby-elephants