Taiwan childhood obesity rate reaches 23.6% in elementary students

Data from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education for the 113th academic year reveals that 23.6% of elementary school students are overweight or obese, meaning nearly one in four children exceeds healthy weight standards.

A survey by the Health Promotion Administration indicates that 46.8% of caregivers for children aged 3 to 12 fail to correctly identify when a child is overweight. Among those who are overweight or obese, approximately 59.1% have not taken any weight control measures. Experts warn that childhood obesity is not merely a matter of appearance but increases long-term risks for hypertension, fatty liver, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

Contributing factors include insufficient physical activity and poor nutrition. Only 35.1% of children meet the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and 96.6% do not consume the recommended daily servings of vegetables and fruit.

To combat this, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education are promoting the ‘85210’ health code: 8 hours of sleep, 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, less than 2 hours of screen time, 1 hour of exercise, and 0 sugary drinks.