Malnutrition among adolescents challenging

Speakers at an event called for malnutrition among adolescents to be addressed and for an environment that lowers malnutrition to be created. 

Bangladesh's efforts to become a developed country by 2041 may not be achieved if the problem persists – they said this while addressing an event held at Muslin Cotton Mills High School, in Gazipur's Kaliganj upazila, on Sunday, reads a press release. 

Thirty-six percent of children – aged 10-18 years – in the country are suffering from malnutrition, while seven percent of children are obese, they said, referring to a 2015 report of Food Safety Net Services. 

Addressing the programme titled "Bhalo Khabo Bhalo Thakbo," speakers expressed their concerns that adolescents buy poor-quality snacks that do not prepare them to chase their dreams. 

To ensure better quality food for adolescents, they urged all concerned to work together to change the way food is produced, manufactured and sold.  

Students, at the event, pledged to eat nutritious foods to build themselves as healthy citizens of the country.

As part of the initiative, about four lakh students from 1,000 high schools across the country have taken the pledge in the last year. 

Students and headmasters of eleven high schools took part in the event, jointly organized by the Switzerland-based organization Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Shornokishoree Network Foundation (SKNF) and Infolady Social Enterprise Limited (iSocial).

Upazila Secondary Education Officer Nure Zannat was the chief guest.  Shader Gain High School Headmaster Oli Azad, SKNF's Project Manager Dr Anika Tahsin Khan, GAIN's Programme Associate Ditipriyo Roy Chowdhury, among others, spoke at the event.