HANOI, July 26 (Xinhua) -- As many as 24.6 percent of Vietnamese children under five years old suffered stunted growth due to malnutrition in 2015, according to statistics by Vietnam's National Institute of Nutrition on Tuesday.
The figure posted a slight decrease of 0.3 percent compared to the previous year. Vietnam's Central Highlands area saw the highest rate of stunted growth due to malnutrition with 34.2 percent.
The rate in midland and northern mountainous area of Vietnam was 30.2 percent in 2015, Vietnam's state-run news agency quoted the institute as saying.
Meanwhile, the number of underweight children of under five years old decreased from 14.5 percent in 2014 to 14.1 percent in 2015.
The statistics of stunting and malnutrition situation in 63 provinces and cities across Vietnam are released annually in Vietnam based on anthropometric indicators of World Health Organization in 2006.
Among measures to improve nutrition situation for children in Vietnam, in early July, Vietnamese government approved a program to provide milk for all children at kindergarten and primary schools at poor areas across Vietnam by 2020.
