A survey has found that Bangkok’s primary school students are at a higher risk for obesity and heart disease than their rural compatriots.
Sponsored by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (THPF), the survey found that 66% of Bangkok youth suffered from high cholesterol, and were thus at a risk for heart disease, and that 20% are suffering from obesity.
Of course, this result provides slightly more cause for optimism than the results of a similar survey conducted between 2004 and 2006, which showed that 78% Bangkok’s youth suffered from high cholesterol.
The Bangkok Post reports that instances of obesity and overall ill health were much more prevalent in Bangkok than in rural provinces, which is both an interesting fact and a fitting metaphor for the country’s overall disparities.
