Vietnam Named Among Nations with Highest Malnourished Children Rate

Vietnam News Briefs: Health & Environment: Vietnam Named Among Nations with Highest Malnourished Children Rate Vietnam News Briefs (Vietnam) - January 18, 2008, from the VIETNAM NEWS BRIEFS, January 18, 2008 Vietnam is named among 36 countries worldwide with a high proportion of children with restricted growth because of poor diets, according to a research published in British journal The Lancet, the world's leading medical magazine In Vietnam, the growth of 34% of children under five was stunted because of malnutrition, Director of the National Institute of Nutrition Dr. Nguyen Cong Khan said In order to develop properly, children need adequate nourishment from the womb until they are two years old, Khan noted. "If not, children will face a high risk of succumbing to chronic illnesses,such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases" He added that the average height of Vietnamese has increased two centimeters, but the raise among children under two is very modest and far from the World Health Organization (WHO)'s standards (Pioneer Jan 18 p2, Young People p2) Copyright 2008 Vietnam News Briefs