Health Ministry study of infants eating unhealthy foods planned

The Department of Health plans to conduct a nationwide study of children consuming unhealthy commercial foods and beverages (UCFB).

State Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Prak Sophonneary, said the study will focus on infants (six months to twenty-four months).

“To find a key solution to improving children’s overall nutrition, the study will highlight key findings regarding how children consume foods, what those foods are, whether they fall under the UCFB category, and how parents perceive providing food for their children,” she said yesterday.

She added that there are still serious nutrition problems among children in the country and several methods need to be put in place to address the issues.

“Since children can only consume breast milk from birth until they are six months old, porridge or cereal are the only complementary meals they can have between six months and two years of age. “, she said.

She stressed that these extra meals are intended to improve the physical and mental well-being of children and are nutritious.

“That’s why the study will help us gain an in-depth understanding of the bigger picture of child nutrition, as some children eat UCFB in their early years,” she said.

She stated that UCFB are sweet cookies or crackers, chips or savory crackers, baked goods (cakes, donuts, sponge cakes), confectionery products (candies, candies, chocolate), soft drinks, sweetened milk, juice drinks, malt or chocolate drinks, and instant noodles.

She pointed out that the main finding of research carried out in Kandal province, co-sponsored by an NGO partner, showed that many children in this region consume excessive amounts of UCFB foods during their early years.

“Due to the Kandal study which showed a high prevalence of UCFB in infants, a nationwide study should be conducted to accurately and thoroughly determine the nutritional status of infants in the country,” she said. declared.

The Kandal study was carried out by the Department of Health in conjunction with the Helen Keller organization to track the consumption of unhealthy commercial foods and beverages during the supplementary feeding period.

“The majority of children maintained (45.7%) or developed an unhealthy drinking pattern (43.5%) and only 10.8% of children maintained a healthy drinking pattern,” the report states.

He added that high consumption of UCFB begins in early childhood in Cambodia, as he noted that in 75.7% of 10-month-old children, early intervention with caregivers to preserve diet is vital. children.

“UCFB intakes tracked throughout the supplementary feeding period, heavy feeders at 10-14 months were almost five times more likely to be heavy feeders at 15-19 months,” he said. he declares.

The national director of the Helen Keller organization, Hou Kreoun, said the finding reveals that high consumption of UCFB begins in infancy and continues into early childhood.

“Our study also revealed that children with unhealthy consumption habits were more likely to have a caregiver with a lower level of education, highlighting the need to educate caregivers about the nutritional quality of these products to reduce the consumption of ‘UCFB in infants and young children,’” he said.