'Vietnamese kids lack vitamins'
More than 50 per cent of Vietnamese children fail to get enough vitamins or iron in their daily meals, says the country's National Institute of Nutrition.
Institute surveys showed the rate of Vietnamese children lacking different kinds of vitamins, namely A, B1, C and D, was higher than Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
The surveys on nutrition in Southeast Asia were conducted by the Vietnam Nutrition Association and the Friesland Campina Institute.
The institute’s Le Nguyen Bao Khanh said the surveys were conducted in each country to give a comparison.
They showed the number of children in urban areas lacking vitamins was higher than rural areas. Half of girls in urban areas lacked. Parents should be told about the importance of vitamins in child development. Families should change habits or it could affect their child’s height.
The two sources of vitamins were food and sunshine. Babies under one year needed exposure to sun, especially in their first three months.
