Illustrative photo (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) –
The average height of is 2-3 cm taller than 10 years ago, according to
head of the Hanoi Department of and Family Planning Nguyen Dinh Lan.
A recent study
calculating of 1,500 people aged six and above in four districts
of since 2010 finds that local adults averaged 166 cm for men and 155 cm
for women.
Another study in 30
districts and towns last year showed similar results with the average height of
12th grade boys 166 cm and 12th grade girls 156 cm.
The figure is higher
than the national average but lower than their peers in more developed countries
in the region.
Experience learned
from developed countries suggests that to improve average height, attention
must be paid to nutrition and exercise from an early age.
Experts said that
the first 2-3 years of life are a crucial time for height development in
children. As a healthy mother will give birth to a healthy baby, more care
should be provided to pregnant women.
Furthermore, unlike
developed nations, Vietnam has paid little attention to physical exercise at
kindergartens and primary schools, many of which lack sports ground or swimming
pool.
The municipal
Department of Health is formulating a plan to develop the physical strength and
height of Hanoians to 2020 with a vision to 2030, aiming to raise local average
heights to regional averages in the next 10-15 years.
The average height
of Japanese people was close to Vietnamese’s before 1950 and increased by 10 cm
in the following 20-30 years. Meanwhile, a study in 2010 indicated that the
average height of Vietnamese only grown 4 cm after 35 years.
In 2015, Vietnamese men
were 164.4 cm tall in average and women, 153.4 cm, 15.4 cm and 10.3 cm shorter
than the global averages, respectively.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
