Curbing childhood obesity in the Philippines: Time to junk the junk (food)
Healthy foods and active lifestyle can bring a lifetime of benefits
When it comes to sweets and other unhealthy food, the struggle is real. Ensuring a child has a healthy diet and regular physical activity can be challenging for parents and caregivers alike. So often, whether it is due to cost, taste, availability, accessibility, or other factors, a bag of chips or a piece of cupcake seems to be the choice instead of fresh fruits or a nutritious sandwich. But, such convenience or satisfaction, no matter how smile-inducing, is usually short-lived. Eating healthy foods and having an active lifestyle, on the other hand, can bring a lifetime of benefits.
Unfortunately, children in the Philippines are increasingly becoming overweight and obese. Results from the Expanded National Nutrition Survey conducted by the country’s Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) in 2019 reported that nearly one in 10 children, aged 5 to 10 years old and 10 to 19 years old respectively, are considered to be overweight.
Overweight and obesity are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health”. Along with being underweight and micronutrient deficient in the body, overweight and obesity are part of the triple burden of malnutrition affecting children around the Philippines. A child suffering from obesity is at a serious disadvantage in life, prone to non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart failure.
Children and caregivers contend with unhealthy food marketing
There are many factors contributing to overnutrition and extreme weight gain in children—but one common contributor is advertising and marketing through television and social media. Unhealthy food marketing is everywhere, and it affects what food children eat, prefer and request.
Eight-year-old Kevin, who enjoys donuts and soft drinks, says: “I bought this food because I saw it on TV.”
Even Nadyn Evalles, a mother of five and a health teacher who opts to buy fruits and prepare healthy food for her family, finds the advertising inescapable. “Due to social media, my children crave this fast food. These are enticing in children's eyes, so sometimes I give them what they want.”
"Due to social media, my children crave this fast food. These are enticing in children’s eyes..."
In a 2021 study of digital food marketing in the Philippines, almost all of the social media posts for marketing from the country’s top 20 most popular food and beverage brands were deemed unsafe for children. These are food and drink items that have high levels of sugar and high levels of salt based on the WHO nutrient profiling criteria, which restricts advertising of such products to minors.
The health risks, though, are overshadowed by the appeal of the advertisements, which draw children with a fun vibe, sense of enjoyment, bright colors, and use of celebrities or influencers, as well as by showing bonding moments with family or friends.
Another challenge is a marketing strategy called ‘health-washing’. Some food and drinks are packaged as having good sources of vitamins or are made with natural ingredients, giving a false impression of benefits. Others are promoted using images of physical activity, with kids running and playing. It can make a viewer think that a flavored milk drink, for example, could be energy-boosting and healthy when it isn’t.
The irony is that actual exercise among children and teens is lacking—and together with unhealthy food consumption that is a worrying combination.
For parents and caregivers, it doesn’t help that these highly processed food and beverages are affordable, available, and accessible. At a time when the prices of basic commodities are skyrocketing and job security is still affected by the pandemic, it can be easy to resort to a pack of instant noodles or canned goods. In addition, although most parents or guardians know that fresh food and vegetables are the way to go, a child asking for what they want is often hard to say no to. These different factors, from the economic to social and physical, can all add up to a highly obesity-influencing environment.
With little to no action, about one-third of the country’s teens could become obese by 2030
In the Philippines, if zero or minimal measures are taken, this would mean that more than 30% of adolescents will either be overweight or obese by 2030, or in less than eight years. The risk of getting diseases is also higher, which will result in a huge cost in terms of healthcare and lost income and opportunities.
More importantly, for families, it means that an overweight or obese child with little to no exercise could be stigmatized (such as bullied), underperform in class, have low self-esteem, or even experience mental health issues. Worse, the child could carry this through adult life. Research shows that the allure of unhealthy food (due to rampant marketing) can create food brand associations even in the child’s earliest years, before he or she learns about healthier food choices. And because of the emotional associations formed with a juicy hotdog, crispy chicken, or what-have-you, these ties can persist into adulthood.
Research shows that the allure of unhealthy food (due to rampant marketing) can create food brand associations even in the child’s earliest years.
A child’s eating preferences begin with parents’ prenatal healthy choices
Parents and other caregivers are the first line of defense against an unhealthy diet. Getting the proper vitamins and minerals begins even before childbirth. A mother who eats right can start to influence a baby’s preferences, as well as the nutritional status upon birth. And in the first crucial years, breastmilk is best. Experts advise to exclusively breastfeed a child from birth to 6 months, then to start complementary feeding with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years and beyond. Babies who are not breastfed and given formula milk have a higher risk of becoming overweight.
Later on, with young children and teens, parents and caregivers should instill a healthy and active lifestyle, which doesn’t have to be expensive. Encouraging outdoor activity, eating fruits (instead of something fruit-flavored), and becoming more selective when choosing snacks could be some simple ways to switch from junk food and build healthier eating habits.
When purchasing food, Nadyn, despite occasional requests from her children, says: “I base it on the nutritional facts, if it will help the development of my child.”
Tackling an obesity-influencing environment requires the involvement of everyone
Making nutritional values commonplace through front-of-pack labelling is one of the many solutions proposed by different concerned institutions and groups to form a systemic approach to curb childhood obesity. The Department of Health and the National Nutrition Council is developing the Philippine Nutrient Profile Model, which will provide guidance for front-of-pack labelling of food products, influence manufacturers to reformulate their products and to sell healthier food, and will also help identify what food and drinks can be marketed to children. Introducing labelling in menus of restaurants has also been recommended, particularly in fast food outlets.
Strong government regulations are needed to restrict such marketing of high fat, sugar and salt food items to children. Early this year, the National Policy on Addressing Overweight and Obesity reached the final stage for approval. This key legislation on marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages will provide directions for all stakeholders. A whole-of-society effort – from families and farmers to schools and supermarkets – is crucial to implement the various solutions and recommendations to address childhood overweight and obesity.
UNICEF has been working with the government and other international organizations, such as WHO, and the Republic of Korea through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), to improve children’s diets, nutrition, and overall health. Among multiple initiatives, in 2021, UNICEF published a brief on the landscape analysis and priority actions to prevent children from becoming overweight and obese. More recently, Behzad Noubary, UNICEF Philippines Deputy Representative, cited the importance of meaningful partnerships to boost nutrition in the new normal. He said, “As we strengthen localized nutrition policies and budgets, assuring nutrition services in hard-to-reach areas, and building capacity of frontline nutrition and healthcare providers, we must ensure that these achievements result in the sustained reduction of all forms of malnutrition including stunting and obesity in the Philippines”.
