World Milk Day “Hong Kong Children Health Survey” reveals 1 in 4 local children quitted drinking milk as 6 year-old
- Written by Reporters
Dairy intake 65% lower than DoH's recommendation
Physical activity level 36% lower than WHO's recommendation
40% indicated their parents do not exercise with them
Experts urge parent-child establishment of balanced diet and exercise habits to
help reducing long-term risk of non-communicable diseases
HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 31 May 2017 - In support to the "World Milk Day" initiated by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and promote the importance and health benefits of drinking milk, FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Ltd. commissioned Dr. Stephen Hui Research Centre for Physical Recreation and Wellness of Hong Kong Baptist University to conduct the second annual "Hong Kong Children Health Survey". 312 Hong Kong children aged between 6 and 12 and 315 parents of the aforesaid age group were interviewed about their dairy intake, individual and parent-child exercise habits, and explore the impact of parents' diet and exercise habits on their children, enhance public awareness on the health of local children, and promote healthy lifestyle of "balanced diet" and "regular physical activity" among children to Hong Kong families.
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Mr. Samson Chim, Chief Dietitian, VNS Nutrition and Health Centre (left), Dr. Lobo H. T. Louie, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, and President, Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine & Sports Science (middle) and Ms. Natalie Yuen, Senior Manager, Public Affairs and Communications, FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Limited (right) urged parents to be a role model and develop healthy lifestyle with their children with sufficient dairy intake and regular physical activity to build a strong family together, at World Milk Day 2017 "Hong Kong Children Health Survey" result announcement.
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Dr. Lobo H. T. Louie, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, and President, Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine & Sports Science said children should accumulate at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily; and encourage parents to engage in a variety of exercise consisting run, jump and throw with their children, enhancing their cardio strength, bone and muscle growth through running, throwing and jumping activities for comprehensive health development.
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Mr. Samson Chim, Chief Dietitian, VNS Nutrition and Health Centre advised people of all ages, from children aged 2 to elderly, should not quit drinking milk but consume one to two servings of milk and alternatives daily.
World Milk Day 2017 "Hong Kong Children Health Survey" revealed that one in four local children quitted drinking milk as 6 year-old and over 30% of surveyed children did not have any habit of drinking milk. Mr. Samson Chim, Chief Dietitian, VNS Nutrition and Health Centre advised parents to continuously provide two servings of dairy products for their children daily.
World Milk Day 2017 "Hong Kong Children Health Survey" revealed that parents' habit has direct impact on their children. Among those parents who have the habit of drinking milk, 90% of their children follow. This supports that it is insufficient for parents solely supplying dairy products to their children, and therefore recommend parents should also develop their own daily habit of dairy consumption.
Severely inadequate dairy intake & physical activity among local parents & children; Parents' habits influence their children
The study congregated respondents' dairy consumption habits including milk, cheese and yogurt. It was found that one in four local children (25.7%) quitted drinking milk[1] as 6 year-old and over 30% of surveyed children (33.7%) did not have any habit of drinking milk that is mainly due to their preference on other beverages, or their belief that milk is neither particularly nutritious nor beneficial to health. Around 20% of surveyed children (23.7%) and almost half of surveyed parents (49.2%) even did not have any habits of eating dairy products. Though 90% of surveyed parents (90.1%) have been offering milk, cheese (39%) or yogurt (27.6%) to their children; dairy intake of local children remains 65% lower than the recommendation from the Department of Health[2]. It was further revealed that parents' habit has direct impact on their children. Among those parents who have the habit of drinking milk, 90% of their children follow.
For exercise, physical activity level of surveyed children is 36% lower than the recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO)[3]; while physical activity level of surveyed parents is even 60% (59.8%) lower[4]. Moreover, over 30% of surveyed parents (36.8%) and 7% of surveyed children (6.7%) did not exercise at all."Running" is the most popular exercise among surveyed parents and children who have exercise habit, which is followed by "jumping" and "throwing" as the least popular exercise. 16% of surveyed parents believed specializing in a single sports item is more beneficial to their children's future development or prospect to compete than sports diversification. Although the surveyed children were generally happy to exercise with their parents, 40% (40.1%) indicated that their parents did not exercise with them, while parents were tended exercise alone (56.3%). Among the 50.8% of parents who seldom exercise with their children, 52.5% were just spectating, accompanying or monitoring their children on the sideline. Additionally, the results suggested a direct and positive correlation between the physical activity level of parents' and their children's. The more frequent the parents exercise every week, the more frequent their children follow suit.
Parents & children should DRINK milk together; Lactose intolerance is treatable without quitting milk
Mr. Samson Chim, Chief Dietitian, VNS Nutrition and Health Centre, said, "The survey finding of one-fourth of Hong Kong children quitted drinking milk as 6 year-old is alarming. The Department of Health recommends people of all ages, from children aged 2 to elderly, should consume one to two servings of milk and alternatives ('dairy products') daily[5]. Milk is one of the food items which contains various nutrients, including protein, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A and D, etc. After suspension of breastfeeding or taking toddler formula, parents should continuously supply two servings of dairy products for their children daily. Survey results underscored the positive parental influence on developing the habit of drinking milk among their children, while various foreign studies have confirmed the parental influence to children's eating habit. These support that it is insufficient for parents solely supplying dairy products to their children. We therefore recommend parents should also develop their own daily habit of dairy consumption. Meanwhile, certain parents simply decided to quit milk as symptoms of discomfort emerged on their own or even their children after drinking milk. Statistics suggested that only a handful of toddlers and children (0.5% -3.5%) are suffering from milk allergy[6], and the common reason of discomfort in drinking milk is lactose intolerance. People with lactose intolerance may try to start daily intake of milk from one-third glass and gradually increase the portion to allow your body slowly adapt. Quitting milk is a pessimistic decision."
Encourage parents to run, jump & throw more often with children for comprehensive physical & mental health development
Dr. Lobo H. T. Louie, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, and President, Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine & Sports Science, reiterated, "There are misconceptions among more than half of the surveyed parents (54%) that 'balanced diet' is more important than 'regular physical activity'. In fact, they are both cornerstones of children health, and the 'eating-only approach' should be avoided. This year's survey results showed a lack of awareness of sports diversification among Hong Kong people. The American College of Sports Medicine suggested that 10 to 15 minutes of jumping exercise at three times per week can benefit children's bone health[7]. Meanwhile, throwing activities train coordination. Experts suggested that human coordination is best developed between the ages of 6 to 9 with little room of improvement after adolescence.[8] Thus, parents shall not opt for sports specialization for their children's future development or prospect to compete. It is essential for parents to engage in a variety of exercise with their children, enhancing their cardio strength, bone and muscle growth through running, throwing and jumping activities for comprehensive health development. Besides, despite sports participation with peers helps cultivating children's communication skills and resilience, parents should spare their weekends or holidays to exercise with their children rather than simply accompanying or monitoring aside. Studies suggest parental-child exercise can effectively boost children's interest in sports and their physical activity level[9], and strengthen family communication and bonding."
70% of global deaths caused by non-communicable diseases; Unhealthy diet and physical inactivity add further risks
Latest figures from the WHO reveals that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension and circulatory diseases, kill 40 million people each year, equivalent to 70% of all deaths globally[10], with "unhealthy diet" and "physical inactivity" are identified as confirmed risk factors[11]. Mr. Samson Chim, Chief Dietitian, VNS Nutrition and Health Centre, urged parents to develop balanced diet and regular physical activity habits with their children. He addressed, "According to the Department of Health, about one out of every five local children is overweight or obese[12]. Overweight and obese children are more likely to stay obese into adulthood and to develop NCDs like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a younger age, or suffer from premature death and disability in adulthood[13]. Common unhealthy eating habits such as high-fat and processed food, dining out and snacks increase our exposure to risk of non-communicable diseases[14]. To reduce the prevalence of children and adolescent obesity, the best way is to develop healthy diet and physical activity habits from an early age and reduce long-term risk of NCDs."
Mr. Harvey Uong, Managing Director, FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Ltd., commented, "FrieslandCampina has over 140 years of Dutch dairy expertise, we, and all our associated brands, support World Milk Day. Not only do we provide high-quality nutritious dairy products, we also aim to nourish local families and their children so that they grow up healthy. This year, we commissioned the second annual Hong Kong Children Health Survey working with the Dr. Stephen Hui Research Centre for Physical Recreation and Wellness of Hong Kong Baptist University to encourage parents and their children to adopt a healthy lifestyle incorporating a 'balanced diet' as well as 'regular physical activity' to lay the foundation for building strong families in Hong Kong."
About FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Limited
FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Limited (FCHK), a subsidairy of Royal FrieslandCampina, has maintained a long presence in Hong Kong for 79 years, providing high quality and nutritious dairy products including FRISO infant and toddler milk formula, DUTCH LADY dairy based beverages, OPTIMEL adult nutrition formula and dairy products including BLACK&WHITE, LONGEVITY, for consumers, customers and food service business partners in Hong Kong and Macau, nourishing the health of local citizens across all ages. FCHK has developed a wide network in both retail and business channels with our products being available at key chain drug stores, supermarkets and open trade, as well as being the supplier-of-choice to top tier food chains, teashops, restaurants and hotels. Currently, our business covers Hong Kong and Macau.
About Royal FrieslandCampina N.V.
Every day FrieslandCampina provides millions of consumers all over the world with food that is rich in valuable nutrients. FrieslandCampina is one of the world's largest dairy companies, manufacturing and providing a variety of dairy products which serve as raw materials and semi-manufactured goods for global infant and toddler products, food and beverage as well as medical industries. FrieslandCampina has offices in 33 countries and employs a total of about 22,000 people. FrieslandCampina's products find their way to more than 100 countries. The Company's central office is in Amersfoort. The Company is fully owned by Zuivelcoöperatie FrieslandCampina U.A, with around 19,000 member dairy farmers in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, one of the world's largest dairy cooperatives. For more information please visit: www.frieslandcampina.com.
About Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine & Sports Science
Founded in 1988, the Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine & Sports Science (HKASMSS) has been a member of the International Federation of Sports Medicine, aiming to promote and advance the practice, education and research of medicine and science in relation to sports and exercise, and to promote and establish friendly relationships with other medical and scientific associations and organisations both in Hong Kong and abroad.
About VNS Nutrition and Health Centre
VNS, a team of registered dietitians aiming to bring forward Various Nutrition knowledge to the public, as a result to encourage a salubrious life for everyone. VNS represents "Various (In various modes)", "Nutrition (Nutrition consultation)" and "Salubriousness (Salubrious life)". VNS Nutrition and Health Centre has been established since 2005 with two visions: To promote the sense of healthiness amongst the public; to joint force with various organization/corporation in running various health related activities for different public sectors. Since introduction of Exercise Therapy in 2006, alongside with tailored nutrition consultation, we have attained notable achievement in disease management for individual clients. VNS has been cooperating with over 100 enterprises in building positive healthy images as well as enhancing their products and services. As time goes by VNS has developed into a professional nutrition consultation service provider entrusted by clients.
Media Contacts
Ezena Tang Strategic Communications Consultants (SCC) Tel: 2114 4993 / 9885 6098 Email: ezena.tang@sprg.com.hk |
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Victina Tse
FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Limited
Tel: 2859 3766 / 6273 0292
Email: worldmilkdayhk@frieslandcampina.com
[1]'Quit drinking milk' means no habit of regular milk drinking after suspension of breastfeeding or taking infant and toddler milk formula.
[2] The Department of Health recommends children and adolescents from 2 to 17 years old should consume two servings of milk and alternatives ('dairy products') daily, and one to two servings daily for adults. A serving of dairy products is equivalent to 1 glass (240 mL) of milk, 1 small box (150 g) of low-fat plain yogurt, or 2 slices of low-fat cheese.
[3] WHO recommends children and youth aged 5--17 should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily. Survey results indicated that surveyed children exercise 2.9 days a week on average, each time lasted 65 minutes. Together with the 80 minutes of physical exercise lessons a week, the weekly physical activity level of surveyed children is 36% lower than the recommendation from the WHO.
[4]WHO recommends adults aged 18--64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity. Survey results indicated that surveyed parents exercise 1.8 days a week on average, each time lasted 33.5 minutes, in which the weekly physical activity level of surveyed parents is 60% (59.8%) lower than the recommendation from the WHO.
[5]"Heath Information". "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region| Department of Health | Health Zone -- Central Health Education Unit. Web. <http://www.cheu.gov.hk /b5/info/2plus3_12.htm>.
[6]Statistics on milk allergy among toddlers and children from different regions in Asia: Thailand (1.3%); Singapore (0.5%); Chongqing, Zhuhai and Hangzhou, Mainland China (0.83%-3.5%); Taiwan (1.1%) and Korea (1.69%).
[7]Gunter, K. B., Almstedt, H. C., & Janz, K. F. (2012). Physical activity in childhood may be the key to optimizing lifespan skeletal health. Exercise and sport sciences reviews, 40(1), 13.
[8]鄧澔明, 雷雄德. 動出資優兒──利用運動為智能增值.香港: 世界出版社. 2016.`
[9]Parental Activity as Influence on Children`s BMI Percentiles and Physical Activity. J Sports Sci Med. 2014 Sep 1;13(3):645-50.
[10]Non communicable diseases" (2017, April). WHO. World Health Organization, Web. <http://www.who.int /mediacentre/factsheets/fs355/en/>.
[11]National Public Health Partnership. Preventing Chronic Disease: A Strategic Framework(Background Paper), 2001; 世界衞生組織《預防及控制非傳染病全球戰略》，2000年
[12]Child obesity prevention urged (2016, October 10). < http://www.news.gov.hk /tc/categories/health/html/2016/10/20161011_121129.shtml>.
[13]"Why does childhood overweight and obesity matter?" WHO. World Health Organization, Web. <http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood_consequences/en/>.
[14]Piernas, C., Wang, D., Du, S., Zhang, B., Wang, Z., Su, C., & Popkin, B. M. (2016). Obesity, non-communicable disease (NCD) risk factors and dietary factors among Chinese school-aged children. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 25(4), 826.
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