Childhood obesity is rising in Sri Lankan schools, driven primarily by widespread consumption of carbonated drinks among teenagers, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
Nutrition Unit Director Specialist Dr. Monika Wijeratne said 17.4% of children aged 13 to 17 had turned to consuming carbonated drinks, which she identified as the leading factor behind the upward obesity trend among schoolchildren.
In response, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education are preparing to jointly launch a healthy school canteen guideline, Dr. Wijeratne said.
A Health Ministry survey released on June 17 found that 12 percent of schoolchildren are overweight and 3 percent obese, with poor dietary habits identified as the primary driver. Beyond the 17.04 percent who consume carbonated soft drinks daily, the survey found that 28.05 percent consume high-salt foods, 29 percent consume high-fat foods and 41 percent consume high-sugar foods at least once a day, Ada Derana reported.
The obesity warning sits awkwardly alongside Sri Lanka’s other child-health priorities. The Family Health Bureau warned in May of a triple burden of child malnutrition — undernutrition, micronutrient deficiency and rising overweight — and Family Health Bureau Director Dr. Chithramalee de Silva flagged a 47 percent “nutrition paradox” in school-age children. In Uva Province, the highest rates of child malnutrition persist alongside the obesity uptick reported elsewhere.
The healthy canteen guideline will join a wider Health Ministry campaign targeting youth lifestyle risks. On World No Tobacco Day on 15 June, authorities flagged a rapid spread of e-cigarettes among schoolchildren and called for tighter retail controls.
Sources: NewsFirst · Ada Derana — survey findings June 17
