Taiwan ranked third from the bottom among 14 countries in the Western Pacific region in the consumption of fruit and vegetables by adolescents, followed only by Kiribati and the Maldives, statistics published by the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) yesterday showed.
The statistics showed that only 17 percent of teenagers in Taiwan consumed the minimum recommended five servings per day of fruit and vegetables during the past 30 days before the survey, trailing behind Kiribati, which had 15 percent, and the Maldives with 11 percent.
Vanuatu ranked first in the poll at 52 percent, followed by Samoa with 48 percent and the Solomon Islands with 45 percent.
Rounding out the top 10 were the Cook Islands (40 percent), Tonga and Fiji Islands (both with 39 percent), China (33 percent), Malaysia (30 percent), Nauru (28 percent) and Philippines (25 percent).
HPA Surveillance and Research Division director Hung Pai-hsun (洪百薰) said the statistics were compiled based on the results of the latest global school-based student health survey — which was jointly designed by the WHO and the US’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — conducted by the 14 nations.
A further breakdown of the statistics showed that the prevalence of low fruit and vegetable intake tended to increase with age, with about 17.5 percent of Taiwanese junior-high school students meeting the recommended intake, but only 10.6 percent of senior-high school students managing to do so, Hung said.
Hung added that the health agency has included a scheme — which encourages students to drink at least 1.5 liters of water, exercise for 60 minutes, consume five servings of fruit and vegetables, and weigh themselves every day — into children’s summer vacation project, as part of the agency’s efforts to promote healthy lifestyle choices among children.
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