The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) today released a report on the prevalence of common school-aged diseases and related factors during the 2023-2024 academic year. This study was part of the Community Health Development Project from 2021 to 2030.
The HCDC research team, in collaboration with the Eye Hospital, the Stomatology Hospital and the Orthopedic Hospital in HCMC, and the Faculty of Medicine at Hong Bang International University, conducted a study on 1,230 students from preschool to high school at eight randomly selected educational institutions in Ho Chi Minh City. The participating students underwent examinations to identify common school-aged diseases including overweight/obesity, refractive diseases, tooth decay, and scoliosis.
A recent study conducted on 1,230 students from pre-school to high school in Ho Chi Minh City has revealed alarming rates of refractive errors and tooth decay, exceeding 50 percent. Among children aged 5-19, the prevalence of overweight and obesity stood at 22 percent and 20 percent respectively.
The study findings revealed that the rates of overweight and obesity in children under 5 were 8.5 percent and 7 percent respectively while the rates of underweight, stunting, and wasting were 1.9 percent, 3.8 percent, and 0.9 percent respectively.
The prevalence of refractive diseases in schoolchildren was 54 percent with rates of 55 percent and 53 percent for boys and girls respectively. Tooth decay affected 55 percent of students. Scoliosis was found in 8 percent of students, with 7 percent having mild and 1 percent having moderate cases.
These findings provide accurate and timely data to help health program managers formulate policies and implement programs to protect, care for, and improve the health of students.
