Over 40% of Ho Chi Minh City students aged 6-18 overweight or obese: doctors

Do Thi Ngoc Diep, a doctor and president of the Ho Chi Minh City Nutrition and Food Association, said obesity has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a chronic disease.

She said the rate of overweight and obesity in Vietnam has doubled over the past decade, with about 21 percent of adults nationwide affected.

Among children aged six to 18, about 20 percent nationwide are overweight or obese, while the rate in Ho Chi Minh City is about 44 percent, Diep said.

Doctors said rising obesity among young people is linked to unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, and increased consumption of sugary drinks such as fruit teas and milk teas, as well as fast food.

Truong Phuoc Tan, an endocrinologist in Ho Chi Minh City, said frequent consumption of refined sugar can increase the risk of insulin resistance, which can lead to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in young people.