Increasing a child's height is not difficult.
The impressive height of some players in the U-23 football team shows that interventions aimed at increasing children's height since 1995 and sports training have begun to show initial positive results.
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| Swimming helps children grow taller. |
According to Dr. Truong Hong Son, director of the Institute of Applied Medicine, interventions to increase height require a longer time than interventions to treat underweight malnutrition. Nutrition, exercise, and sleep play crucial roles in promoting height growth in children.
Sleep and exercise are related to height.
According to published figures, the average height of Vietnamese youth in 2016 was 164cm for men and 153cm for women, about 3cm taller than their peers 25 years ago (in 1993). Compared to other Southeast Asian countries, Vietnamese youth are only slightly taller than their Indonesian counterparts; men are 0.4cm shorter than their Cambodian counterparts, and women are 0.2cm shorter. Compared to global standards, Vietnamese youth are approximately 10cm shorter.
However, according to Dr. Truong Hong Son, the aforementioned height measurements were taken 7 years ago, at which time interventions to improve children's height (which began in 1994 in some communes and were implemented nationwide from 1998) had not yet been effective. "The next measurement in 2019 will show the results of the interventions from 1998 when they were implemented nationwide until now," Dr. Son said.
Dr. Son also stated that after more than 20 years of intervention, the rate of underweight malnutrition in children under 5 years old is now below 15%, a decrease of two-thirds compared to the time the intervention began, but the rate of stunting malnutrition has only decreased by one-third.
"Interventions for height growth require a longer time and patience, from the time the child is in the womb until puberty. Important factors for height growth include diet, sleep, and physical exercise. Surveys to date show that Vietnamese children don't get enough sleep or exercise, not to mention their diet," according to Dr. Son.
Go to bed before 10 PM and train using the 5+2 method.
To help children reach their full height potential, Mr. Son recommends that their diets ensure sufficient energy and micronutrients, following the nutritional pyramid for each age group.
For example, children aged 2-5 years need to eat 120-160 grams of rice or equivalent food per day, along with 150-200 grams of fruits and vegetables, 120-150 grams of meat or 140-160 grams of fish, shrimp, or crab. Each week, they should eat 2-3 eggs, 30-40 grams of oil or fat (each teaspoon is equivalent to 5 grams of oil/fat), and less than 3 grams of salt per day, in addition to supplementing their meals with milk.
Regarding sleep, growth hormone is most effective when children are in deep sleep between 11 PM and 1 AM (to achieve deep sleep at 11 PM, they need to go to bed at 10 PM). However, Vietnamese children often study very late at night, especially those in cities, and their morning wake-up times coincide with their parents' work schedules, so many children don't get enough sleep.
Regarding exercise regimens, Mr. Son suggested adopting a 5+2 system, meaning 5 days of physical exercise and 2 days of sports per week. The 5 days of physical exercise should involve 30 minutes each day for children to practice exercises, combined with household chores (children aged 2 and above can begin to be guided in doing chores around the house) such as stacking dishes, arranging food, picking vegetables, washing clothes, etc. The two weekend days should be dedicated to 30 minutes each day for sports training, especially activities that stretch the body.swimming, basketball, pull-ups...
Vietnam's goal is to increase the average height of 5-year-old children by 1.5-2cm by 2020, and the average height of adults by 1-1.5cm compared to 2010. By 2030, the average height of Vietnamese people will increase by 4cm compared to 2010. Without intervention now, these targets will remain just dreams!
Prioritize nutritional care.The first 1,000 days of life
At a recent meeting in Hanoi on upcoming nutrition improvement projects, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien stated that a survey conducted eight years ago showed that Vietnamese young men ranked 19th from the bottom (among nearly 200 countries and territories with available statistics) in height, while women ranked 13th from the bottom.
According to Ms. Tien, Vietnam will prioritize nutritional care during the first 1,000 days of a child's life, a crucial period that affects their future height potential, in combination with effective height-improving interventions implemented by the international community.
