Monks suffer from health problems : study
A research study indicates that almost half of Thai monks are overweight or are affected by noncommunicable diseases.
The study focused on the health concerns of Thai monks and how to offer them food during the upcoming Buddhist Lent.
The survey's participants included 246 monks from the Dhammayuttika Nikaya and Mahayana movements in 11 provinces.
Fortyfive per cent of the monks experience varying levels of obesity, while 40 per cent of them face such diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and allergies, partly due to the rich, oily and sugarladed foods offered to them by the Buddhist faithful.
The average monk's only sporting activities is walking in the morning while on rounds seeking alms, and sweeping temple courtyards. Only around 21 per cent have annual health checkups.
According to the study, some monks have more than three evening drinks each day, for they must abstain from eating food. However, some of the drinks offered to monks are not healthy, as they are mostly soft drinks with sugar, leading to diabetes.
A dualtrack campaign is being prepared to teach monks to select healthy drinks, and also to inform food donors about healthy food when offering alms to monks.
