Strengthening school nutrition communication: Da Nang advances efforts to prevent childhood overweight and obesity

School Nutrition Communication in Da Nang, 10 February 2026 – Under the framework of the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI) in Da Nang (2023–2026) and the Healthy Cities for Adolescents Phase II (HCA-II) project, funded by Fondation Botnar and managed by Ecorys, UNICEF Viet Nam, in collaboration with the Da Nang Center for Disease Control (CDC Da Nang), conducted monitoring and evaluation activities on school-based nutrition communication and childhood overweight and obesity prevention models.

The mission visited and worked with Nguyen Binh Khiem Secondary School and Le Anh Xuan Secondary School—two of 17 secondary schools across the city implementing school nutrition education, health counselling, and awareness-raising interventions on preventing overweight and obesity among children and adolescents.

 

Ms. Duong Huong Quynh, Unicef Vietnam and Dr. Ngo Van Quang, CDC Da Nang in a meeting with students at Le Anh Xuan School

Through interviews with school leadership, school health staff, and focus group discussions with students, the assessment documented encouraging results. Communication activities were found to be simple, accessible, and engaging, enabling students to better understand balanced diets, healthy eating habits, and the importance of physical activity in preventing non-communicable diseases associated with overweight and obesity.

Students with Nutrition Communication Brochures at Nguyen Binh Khiem School

In 2025, with technical and financial support from UNICEF, school health personnel strengthened their capacity in assessing and managing students’ nutritional status. More than 9,000 students affected by overweight and obesitywere reached through targeted communication campaigns, individual counselling, and educational materials promoting healthy nutrition and active lifestyles.

Dr. Quang is measuring weight for a student at Le Anh Xuan School

Despite these achievements, several challenges remain. These include limited school infrastructure—such as the lack of standardized canteens providing healthy food options—time constraints within academic curricula for health education, and shortages of school health staff in schools with large student populations.

In this context, project interventions have contributed to creating healthier school environments, strengthening school health systems, and promoting positive behaviour change in nutrition and physical activity among adolescents. Schools have committed to sustaining and scaling up these models, aiming to reduce the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity and improve the overall health and well-being of children and adolescents in Da Nang.