‘Alarming’ rise in obesity among Hong Kong children blamed on lifestyle changes caused by coronavirus pandemic
- Health department finds biggest increase in obesity has occurred among Primary One pupils, more junior secondary pupils facing weight problems
- Experts warn weight problems in early childhood may affect health and increase the possibility of obesity in adulthood
The health department, which raised concerns about the long-term consequences for the children, said the biggest increase in obesity occurred among junior primary school pupils. Lower forms in secondary schools had the highest number of pupils facing weight problems.
The department’s study found that about one in five Primary One and Two pupils who visited student health service centres were overweight or obese this year. The figure jumped 6.3 percentage points from last year to 20.2 per cent.
Some 24.1 per cent of Form One pupils suffered weight problems this year, up from 21.4 per cent in 2020. The same trend was recorded for those aged four years, with the figure increasing 2.2 percentage points from last year to 5 per cent.
Dr Thomas Chung Wai-hung, community medicine consultant at the department, described the obesity surge as “alarming” and attributed it to the pandemic.
“The pandemic prompted a new normal. People went out less. Children were not able to attend school in person. Their lifestyle and dietary habits changed,” he said on Thursday.
“If children [develop] obesity in early childhood, it may affect their health and increase the possibility of obesity in adulthood. Being obese can increase the risks of a lot of non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular problems, even cancer, etc.”
Pandemic contributing to ‘myopia boom’ among Hong Kong children, study finds
Under the Department of Health’s definition, obesity refers to a child’s weight exceeding 120 per cent of the median of a weight-to-height reference range.
The study compared measurement records of children diagnosed with weight problems in the past two years, involving tens of thousands of pupils visiting student health service centres or maternal and child health centres.
The department also conducted a survey of 424 primary and 236 secondary school pupils who visited health service centres in late August and found around half had cut their daily physical activities.
Chung said students avoided outdoor activities because of fear over the coronavirus.
“Some said limited space at home had reduced their choice of exercise,” he said. “They also exercised less as some public sports facilities were closed and they spent more time playing video games at home.”
02:14
Boy starts exercising tearfully after teacher asks if he gained weight
Around 20 per cent and 16 per cent of the primary and secondary school pupils respectively said they had eaten more high salt and high fat snacks.
“As they stayed at home for a longer period of time, it increased the opportunity to eat. Others ate more snacks because they were bored or their parents bought more snacks for them,” Chung added. “Some also said the increase of parent-child cooking activities allowed them to eat more.”
In separate research, Baptist University interviewed 1,350 parents of kindergarten and primary school students between April and May this year, and found that 95 per cent of the children exercised less than an hour per day. Some 64 per cent of parents said their children had gained around 4kg during the pandemic.
Dr Lobo Louie Hung-tak of Education University said parents played a huge role in their children’s health.
“Parents are the ones who decide most of a child’s daily activities. They need to know the impact of weight on their children’s future health,” said Louie, a senior lecturer in the department of health and physical education.
“With appropriate safety measures, kids can play more at playgrounds after school … Parents can also send them to more sport-related interest classes.”
He said diet was 70 per cent related to obesity and being overweight, and urged parents to limit children’s calorie intake and increase energy expenditure while using less salt and sugar.
No full-day classes in Hong Kong yet, as many students not vaccinated
Health department senior dietitian Mandy Kwan Shuk-ying said adults should also opt for healthier food choices for children.
“When eating out, parents and students should order food with healthier cooking methods such as steaming, baking and simmering, and natural low-fat ingredients instead of fatty meat,” she said. “They should make sure there are both vegetables and meat in their diet.”
The department also found that more four- and five year-olds had poor vision while more Primary One and Form One pupils were wearing glasses, with increased screen time and reduced outdoor activities under the pandemic blamed as the reasons.
Its findings echoed a Chinese University study which indicated the percentage of children who develop nearsightedness has increased an estimated 2½ times during the pandemic.
