Many children, teens believe obesity myths: groupBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterAlthough obesity has been declining among children and adolescents, many of them hold misconceptions about eating, such as a 15-year-old girl who swallowed cotton to suppress her appetite, the Taiwan Pediatric Association said. However, clinical observation has shown that many children and adolescents hold misconceptions about obesity and have adopted unhealthy ways of losing weight, he said. Members of the Taiwan Pediatric Association hold placards at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, calling on parents to pay greater attention to overweight and underweight children ahead of Children’s Day on Sunday. The teenager was diagnosed with hypertension, hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia, as well as fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis, Yeung added. The Health Promotion Administration has published Evidence-Based Guidelines on Children Obesity Prevention and Management (兒童肥胖防治實證指引), and offers a BMI assessment calculator for children and adolescents on its Web site so that parents and children can better understand what a healthy body weight is, he said.

Source: Taipei Times March 30, 2021 15:56 UTC