LGUs encouraged: Promote healthy lifestyle for kids

THE Department of Health (DOH) is calling on local government officials to build more parks, playgrounds, and basketball courts in their areas of jurisdiction to encourage more physical activity from children in their localities.

In a recent press briefing, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said their call is intended to combat children’s addiction to gadgets and other online activities.

“Local chief executives can build nice parks, playgrounds, basketball courts, and football fields so that these kids can go there and play,” said Herbosa.

“We hope children will once again go out, play, and be active. They are young. Make them active but the community has to build,” he added.

By doing this, the health chief said the country would be able to minimize the problem of child obesity, noting that obese children become prone to other non-communicable ailments more common among adults.

“Most of the kids become obese because they like playing computer games, using gadgets, watching movies, activities where they are just sitting with no physical activities,” Herbosa said.

“If you have children that are obese, they end up having hypertension at an earlier age, they tend to have heart disease at an earlier age,” added Herbosa.

Data from the National Nutrition Council (NNC) show that at least 3.9 percent of Filipino children aged five and below and 14 percent of kids aged five to 10 are overweight.