Kaohsiung has the highest rate of obesity among junior-high and high-school students in the nation, the most recent Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics showed.
The latest annual report of nationwide obesity statistics showed that at the elementary school level an average of 30.2 percent of male students and 22.7 percent of female students are obese. At the junior-high school level, 36.4 percent of male students and 25.6 percent of female students are obese.
However, statistics released earlier this year by the Kaohsiung Education Bureau showed that 32.68 percent of male students and 23.76 percent of female students at elementary school are obese. At the junior-high school level, 39.19 percent of males and 27.47 percent of females in the city are obese.
Photo: Hsu Li-chuan, Taipei Times
Grades one and two have the lowest rates of obesity, while 20 percent of students at the grade-five level and above are obese and 14 percent are overweight, the statistics for the city showed.
The high rate might be due to the hot weather in Kaohsiung, which might be encouraging children to drink more sweet and iced beverages, the Kaohsiung Education Bureau said, adding that the heat also causes children to spend less time exercising outdoors.
The average body mass index (BMI) of students in districts closer to the mountains and of indigenous children is higher, and that of students from near the city center including Gushan (鼓山), Sinsing (新興), Lingya (苓雅) and Cianjin (前金) districts is lower, the data showed.
The bureau recorded a decrease in the average BMI of the city’s students from each grade compared with the year before. The highest decrease was recorded among sixth graders whose average BMI decreased by 0.17, while the second-biggest decrease was among ninth graders, with an average BMI decrease of 0.13.
The year-on-year decrease showed that efforts by the city to promote a healthier lifestyle were promising, the bureau said, adding that students reported higher levels of exercise and better sleep patterns.
However, more effort was needed to encourage more water intake and consumption of vegetables, it said.
Schools with a higher proportion of overweight students would be provided with greater funds and resources to promote healthy habits, it said.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
RSS