Thai young people tend to be short

Thai young people tend to be short in stature because they do not drink much milk, Public Health Minister Pradit Sintawanarong said on Thursday.

According to a study by the ministry, the average height of 18 and 19-year-old boys is 167.1 centimetres, and 157.4cm for girls. Their short stature is attributed to low milk consumption, Dr Pradit said.

Thai people consume less milk than other Southeast Asian countries, with Thais drinking about 14 litres of milk per head each year, compared to Southeast Asia's average of 60 litres and the world rate of 103.9 litres annually, he said.

Pornthep Siriwanarangsan, director-general of the Department of Health, said the ministry aims to raise the average height of Thai teenage boys over the age of 18 to 175cm, and to 162cm for teenage girls.

The ministry is also promoting breastfeeding for babies in the first six months of life, that young children drink two to three glasses of milk a day and that older children drink two glasses daily, Dr Pradit said.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has set the last Wednesday in September as annual World School Milk Day.