Dessy Sagita – The Health Ministry said on Wednesday that it was preparing programs to fight increasing cases of overnutrition among Indonesian children.
"It's a serious problem, it's alarming that when we are still grappling with malnutrition we also have to deal with increasing overnutrition among children at the same time," Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih told a seminar in Jakarta.
A survey released by the Health Ministry at the end of 2010 found that 14 percent of Indonesian children under the age of 5 were overweight. The same report found that 9.2 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 12 were overweight. By contrast, in 1990, 4 percent of all children were overweight.
Jakarta has the highest number of overweight children with nearly 20 percent of those under 5 suffering from overnutrition.
Endang said the fight against excessive nutrition and obesity could no longer rely on previous methods and therefore a national movement was needed, involving the National Education Ministry.
"The fight against both malnutrition and overnutrition will be part of the curriculum for those who want to become teachers, it also should be included in school extracurricular [lessons]."
Obesity is on the rise not necessarily because children eat excessive amounts of food, but because they eat unhealthy fare due to their parents' poor knowledge of proper nutrition, she said.
Endang added Indonesian children also did not have many options for physical activities. "In Singapore, the elementary schools have a special physical program for overweight students, we don't have it here," she said.
She said the ministry would use community health clinics (Puskesmas) to disseminate information about the dangers of overnutrition. "And in the meantime, parents, please prepare a healthy breakfast and other meal for your children so they won't have to buy unhealthy food out there," she said.
Rini Sekartini, from the Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI), said in the long run, weight issues could cause depression, anxiety and low self-esteem in children. Obesity could also trigger some cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and a host of other ailments.
The Health Ministry suggests parents monitor their children's eating habits and ensure they get enough physical activity.
Fasli Jalal, deputy education minister, said children, due to their daily interactions with teachers, were actually the easiest target for intervention and spreading awareness of the dangers of obesity.