The issue of obesity, especially among children was raised by Yang Berhormat Awang Haji Abd Wahab bin Apong.  To this the Minister of Health replied saying the Ministry has formed the Cost Functional Team under the Multi-Sectorial Task for Health.  The objective of the team is to control rising obesity among children.  Members of the Cross Functional Team are Health Officers and officers from the Ministries of Education and Religious Affairs. 

The Minister of Health said several main actions have been identified in order to achieve the agreed objective, including studying or drafting or formulating several policies and guidelines.  Firstly, the guideline on nutrition and physical activities at Child Care Centre for 0-5 year-olds, guidelines on selling and serving food and drinks at schools, policy on advertising unhealthy food and drinks to children, policy on the code of practice for health worker marketing of infant foods and products to strengthen measures to promote breast feeding. The second step is Body Mass Index (BMI) Profiling whereby BMI filtering among students from Year 1 to Year 11 that started this year is meant to monitor the students' BMI status.  Third is the Be Fit for Life program which focuses on overweight school students.  This pilot programmed began this year at 12 selected secondary schools where the training of trainers, the teachers involved was conducted last month. Other measures towards achieving the goals of the Cross Functional Team include the implementation of the National Strategy for Maternal Infant and Young Child Nutrition in Brunei Darussalam 2014-2020, the implementation of Drink Water at School and the Children's Obesity Clinic at the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Seleha Hospital's Pediatrics Department.

Source:
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by BruDirect.com

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