Parents have been urged to pay closer attention to what children eat at home and how much physical activity they get, amid growing concerns about overweight and obesity among young people in Uganda.
The call was made at Kitebi Primary School during a three-day Sports for Health programme organised by the Scaling Up Nutrition and Food Security for Youth, Adolescents and Children Civil Society Network (SUNFOYAC-CSN).
Gilbert Orikiriiza, Education Officer in charge of Physical Education and Sports at the Ministry of Education and Sports, was the guest of honour at the event.
Orikiriiza said while schools have a role in promoting healthy lifestyles through sports and school feeding programmes, parents also have an important responsibility in shaping children’s eating habits.
He said children need to be encouraged to eat more natural and nutritious foods instead of relying heavily on processed and fast foods.
Orikiriiza said the concern is particularly important in urban and semi-urban communities, where non-communicable diseases such as diabetes are increasingly becoming a concern.
“Most of the children are fed on fast foods and the parents also pack fast foods for children when they are going to school,” he said.
However, he said physical activity should remain part of children’s daily lives, whether or not they participate in competitive sports.
Cissy Kaamu, Technical Advisor for Health at Plan International Uganda, said the nutrition needs of adolescents deserve greater attention because this is a critical stage of physical development and habit formation.
Kaamu cited UNICEF data showing that 12 percent of children aged five to 19 are overweight or obese, with unhealthy diets and physical inactivity identified among the contributing factors.
She said some children have limited opportunities to exercise because they are transported to and from school, after which they may spend much of their free time watching television or engaging in other sedentary activities.
Kaamu also said busy parents sometimes turn to readily available junk food and sugary drinks because they have limited time to prepare meals.
She said teaching young people about nutrition could have benefits beyond their own health because they will eventually pass those habits on to their children.
Bernard Sembatya, Country Director of SUNFOYAC-CSN Uganda, said the programme was using sports as an entry point to discuss nutrition, hygiene, sanitation and climate change with young people.
He urged parents to reduce children’s consumption of foods such as chips, fried chicken and sugary drinks and provide healthier alternatives, including vegetables and properly prepared meals.
The programme brought together seven schools and was held ahead of the National Youth Dialogue for Nutrition, scheduled for October 15 and 16.
Sembatya said the initiative is also intended to address gaps in nutrition information concerning adolescents and young people, noting that much of the country’s nutrition focus has traditionally centred on children under five.
He said the organisers want young people to be involved in discussions about what they eat and how they can maintain healthy lifestyles.
The broader goal, he said, is to tackle malnutrition in all its forms and across all age groups.
