Fostering healthy eating in children

Malnutrition has a negative effect on the health, development and educational achievement of children, highlighting the importance of fostering healthy eating behaviour and interventions that address both underand over-nutrition in schoolaged children, particularly in lowand middle-income countries. Eating breakfast has positive effects on behaviour in the classroom, mainly in primary school age children, and academic performance. Skipping breakfast has been shown to be consistently associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity. Maintaining a healthy weight in childhood reduces the risks of overweight, obesity and cardiovascular disease later in life. South Africa’s Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Obesity 2015–2020 has a strong focus on preventing childhood obesity, aims to promote healthy eating, and enables access to healthy food choices in various settings, including schools.