Bid to prevent malnutrition among pupils

The Ministry of Education and Youth is planning to provide nutritious snacks and other food in schools to correct eating habits and prevent malnutrition among students.

The ministry is discussing the idea with food companies to formulate a detailed project, said Safian Ahmed Othman, a nutritionist in the Training Programme Section of the Nutrition Department in Al Ain Medical District.

He said school cafeterias are offering unhealthy food to children. The ministry expects to implement the project later in this academic year, he said in an interview with Gulf News here yesterday.

He said: "It is a very healthy move that will control growing malnutrition among teenagers."

The Nutrition Department has already provided necessary information, description of meals, and food safety guidelines to the ministry for the project.

"Our recommendations include guidelines about food, workers, preparation, packing and transportation of meals."

Food safety, he explained, is also an important issue and the department has put more emphasis on it as preparing food in unhygienic conditions can lead to the breakout of diseases among students.

The research section at the department has also planned to carry out a comprehensive survey on school children's health.

The expert said a majority of male students in schools are not taking a balanced diet. This situation has been causing health problems among the youth which needs immediate attention.

"Many of the school going children are either underweight or overweight and suffering from iron deficiency, especially the female students." He added these problems can be avoided by just eating healthy meals.

Breakfast is the most important meal for teenagers. But most of them either do not eat breakfast or eat badly before going to school.

"This is something common among all students. Growing children need more energy for which breakfast is vital as it is taken many hours after dinner."

The first three periods in schools are always very hectic, demanding very high mental and physical activity. Thus, breakfast is very important, he said.

Students are also in the habit of eating junk food such as colas, chocolates, potato chips and lots of sweets. Junk food is full of calories and energy but does not contain the required proteins and vitamins.

"School children usually eat snacks, normally junk food during break time," he said, adding these snacks fill their stomachs. "They go home with a full stomach and do not take proper lunch which their bodies require by that time."

Othman also pointed out another bad habit among students is that they do not eat sufficient vegetables and fruits. Some of the overweight students also adopt wrong methods to reduce or control their weight.

"They heavily cut down on their meals which result in iron deficiency or anaemia in many cases."

He also cautioned parents to be more careful in selecting meals for their children. "Parents can play a key role in the good health of children. There is no replacement of healthy food for growing children in the early years of their life."

Being more vigilant, parents should not allow children to change their eating habits by taking junk food and skipping any of the three main daily meals.

The nutrition department has planned a series of training and educational activities to educate people, especially school children, on proper eating habits.

The activities have been designed to provide a platform for public and health professionals to exchange their ideas and views in light of latest research and findings to better understand these issues.

The department is currently holding a five-day workshop on the Role of Nutritional Education in the School. The aim of the workshop is to find out behaviour-related factors, influencing the nutritional needs of students.