UNICEF and the National Healthy Nutrition Center are conducting a study to evaluate school meals in three regions of Kazakhstan

According to the World Health Organization, improper nutrition contributes to over 60 percent of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. In order of importance, nutritive factors as a cause of disease outweigh sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and alcohol consumption together.

The Kazakh Academy of Nutrition reported that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children up to 5 years of age increased from 9% to 13.4% over 20 years from 1995 to 2014. For children 5 to 9 years of age, the rate was 17.6% in 2014, demonstrating an increase to 20.6% by 2020. Better nutrition and combating nutritional disorders among children must become a priority in our country.

Currently, the State has supported initiatives for the development and launch of reforms to provide all schoolchildren with free meals. All schoolchildren of 1-4 grades in Almaty, Nur-Sultan, and Shymkent cities are provided with free meals at the expense of local budgets.

Apart from the fact that healthy school meals shall be scientific-based, provide the essential components for the harmonious development of children, and prevent not only obesity but also protein, iodine, iron malnutrition, and other forms of nutrient deficiencies.

In this context, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is arranging a study to evaluate school meals in Kazakhstan. This study will be implemented by the Republican Public Association “National Healthy Nutrition Center” (NHNC) in schools of Almaty city, the Aktobe, and Zhetysu regions between September and December this year and will help get information about the school meals system, its basic characteristics as well as about strengths and weaknesses of the existing school meals practice.

“Bala aman - El aman: health is formed from a young age and depends on healthy eating habits. School is a universal environment that lays the foundation for healthy behavior, namely the conscious choice of healthy food products and avoidance of unhealthy ones.

The results of the study conducted by the National Healthy Nutrition Center in collaboration with UNICEF will show how Kazakhstani schoolchildren actually take their meals. This will furnish significant data required for developing targeted actions to improve nutrition and health of schoolchildren in Kazakhstan,” Mr. Almaz SHARMAN, Professor of Medicine, President of the Public Association “National Healthy Nutrition Center”, - commented.

The evaluation will help make it possible to work out recommendations to enhance the school meals system, to harmonize and update the standards and norms regulating school meals. These results will also facilitate better awareness-raising activities for schoolchildren, their parents, and school personnel about healthy nutrition and improving children’s health.

The follow-up monitoring of school meals practices and the introduction of indicators and benchmarks for their effectiveness will help ensure that health is a standing item on the agenda of secondary education institutions.

“Nutrition is a critical part of children’s health and development. This is directly related to better health in childhood and further adulthood, stronger immune systems, lower risk of non-communicable diseases and longevity. Healthy children with adequate nutrition are more successful in learning, and more active, and the conditions are created for their better future productivity and greater opportunities. Schools may be instrumental in implementing nutrition and health promotion measures and shaping a positive environment that favors healthy lifestyles. We, therefore, highly welcome the beginning of cooperation with the National Healthy Nutrition Centre and believe that it will bring positive changes for every child,” - Mr. Arthur van Diesen, UNICEF Representative in Kazakhstan, noted.