Over 37% of Ho Chi Minh City students are now overweight or obese

Tang Chi Thuong, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, said at a meeting last week that obesity rates are rising rapidly across all age groups. Recent figures indicate the obesity rate among children under 5 surged from 11.1% in 2017 to 13.6% in 2022, and now stands at 19.02%, higher than Vietnam's national average.

According to a nutrition report from the city's People's Committee, rapid urbanization and lifestyle changes are driving the increase. Easier access to fast food, sugary beverages and processed foods, along with increasingly sedentary lifestyles, have significantly contributed to the obesity epidemic.

Obesity is linked to serious health conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO estimates that by 2035, global obesity-related expenses could reach approximately $4 trillion annually.

Ho Chi Minh City has set ambitious targets to combat obesity, aiming to reduce the obesity rate among children under 5 to below 14%, below 40% among those aged 5-18 and below 35% for adults by 2030.