Up to 80% of poor kids in Hong Kong shoebox flats not eating enough healthy foods

Up to 80 per cent of children from low-income families living in Hong Kong’s subdivided flats are suffering from various degrees of insufficient nutrition intake, a study has estimated, with researchers urging authorities to step up education over proper diets.

The figure emerged from a study that saw 589 children aged two to 11 from 520 families and their carers take part in questionnaires and phone interviews conducted between June 2024 and January of this year.

World Vision Hong Kong, a humanitarian organisation, said on Sunday that its research showed 86.4 per cent of the children were not eating enough dairy and 76.2 per cent of them were not meeting the recommended vegetable intake level.

According to the data, 69.8 per cent of the children were not eating enough fruits, 61.1 per cent of them needed to eat more meat and about 49.1 per cent had inadequate grain intake levels.

Bonnie Leung Wing-yan, a dietitian from the Hong Kong Community Dietitian Association who collaborated with the charity for the study, said parents of the respondents also had limited understanding of the recommended amounts of key foods their children should be eating.

“We found that most of the children had inadequate nutrition intake, which is a relatively serious situation,” she said.