School nutrition capacity-building workshop – For a generation of healthy confident, and thriving children in Da Nang

Da Nang, October 14, 2025 – The Da Nang Center for Disease Control (CDC Da Nang), in collaboration with UNICEF Viet Nam, successfully organized a capacity-building workshop on school nutrition counseling, assessment, management, and data monitoring, aiming to strengthen the prevention and control of overweight and obesity among school children in Da Nang.

This activity was implemented under the “Child-Friendly City Initiative (CFCI) – Da Nang, 2023–2026” and the “Healthy Cities for Adolescents (HCA-II)” project, funded by Fondation Botnar and managed by Ecorys.

24 Participants – Learning and Acting Together for Students’ Health

The workshop brought together 24 participants, including:

• 19 school health and nutrition officers from 15 secondary schools under the project.
• 05 specialized staff from CDC Da Nang.

These participants play a key role in implementing school nutrition initiatives and preventing childhood overweight and obesity – one of the city’s top priorities in building a safe, healthy, and child-friendly learning environment.

Workshop Objectives:

The training was designed to:

• Strengthen skills in school nutrition counseling, assessment, and data management, enabling school health officers to detect and address early signs of overweight and obesity.
• Discuss and align plans for implementing practical interventions at 15 participating secondary schools under the Child-Friendly City Initiative – Da Nang, with technical support from UNICEF Viet Nam.

Key Highlights

Under the guidance of MSc. Dr. Ngo Van Quang – Head of the Nutrition Department, CDC Da Nang, participants:

• Reviewed results of overweight and obesity prevention activities for the 2024–2025 school year;
• Updated knowledge on UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on school-based overweight and obesity prevention.
• Practiced nutrition status assessment using the ENA for SMART (Emergency Nutrition Assessment) software – an international tool that standardizes nutrition data analysis.
• Learned how to manage and track school nutrition data using Excel, supporting student health monitoring.
• Applied the WHO AnthroPlus software to analyze anthropometric indicators (BMI, weight-for-age, height-for-age)based on the WHO 2007 growth standards.

The sessions combined real-life case discussions, interactive Q&A, and experience sharing from 15 participating schools, helping participants connect theory to practice and strengthen school-based interventions.

Towards a Healthy, Safe, and Friendly Learning Environment

The workshop was part of a broader effort to improve student health and well-being in Da Nang, contributing to:

• Building healthy and child-friendly school environments.
• Raising awareness of balanced nutrition and physical activity.
• Reducing the risks of overweight and obesity among children, advancing the city’s goal of holistic physical and mental development for every child.

Together, let’s nurture a generation of healthy, confident, and thriving children in Da Nang!