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Obesity, eyesight problems increase among students

HCM CITY – Due to an increase in the use of computers, television and smartphones, the number of students in Hồ Chí Minh City suffering from obesity and eyesight problems is increasing.

Speaking at a recent meeting, Nguyễn Hữu Hưng, deputy director of the Municipal Department of Health (DoH), said the city Department of Education and Training in coordination with the DoH has provided annual health examinations for about  九0 per cent of students at schools in the city.

Doctors found that the height and physical strength of students had improved, but a high rate of students suffered from obesity and refraction errors like myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia (far-sightedness), presbyopia (loss of near vision with age) and astigmatism.

The number of students suffering from short-sightedness is also increasing in Việt Nam's big cities. This is mostly due to spending little time on outdoor activities and sitting in front of electronic devices in an incorrect posture, Hưng said.

Dương Công Minh, head of HCM City Children's Hospital City's Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, said that overweight children face risks such as hyperlipidemia (high levels of fat in the blood), coronary heart disease, cerebral vascular accident, diabetes, gallstone disease, cancer, and gout.

In addition, overweight students are often discriminated against in school, which can lead to low self-confidence or depression.

Besides teachers' reminders to students to use the correct sitting posture during class, more health staff are also needed at schools to monitor students’ health, ensure food safety, and protect their psychological health.

Long hours of learning may also lead to eye strain which in turn causes an increase in eye-related diseases. Parents should encourage their kids to play outdoors as much as possible and restrict the use of computers, television, and smartphones.

Students should have checkups at Eye Hospitals twice a year and when they show signs of poor eyesight. – VNS