CHIANG RAI – A recent update from health advocates has pointed out clear health warning signs that more children and teens are contracting non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and the numbers keep climbing year after year.
On March 5, 2026, the Community and Highland Development Foundation, working with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, hosted a brainstorming meeting in Chiang Rai, focused on building healthier routines for children and youth from upstream ethnic communities in the province.
The work is part of the “Dek Kai Dee” (เด็กกายดี) project, which supports better physical and mental health in 34 schools across 6 districts, including Wiang Kaen, Mae Chan, Mae Fah Luang, Chiang Khong, Mae Suai, and Mueang Chiang Rai.
Participants included school directors and staff, university partners, provincial and district public health teams, subdistrict health-promoting hospitals, local administrative groups, municipal representatives, nutritionists, and pharmacists.
Children’s health habits are changing
Tuenjai Deethed, a co-founder of Community and Mountain Area Development Foundation and former senator from Chiang Rai, said daily life in many communities has shifted fast.
Convenience stores now reach remote mountain areas, so kids buy and eat differently than before. Because of that, she raised the idea of taxes on low-nutrition foods and non-degradable plastics, alongside practical nutrition education. The goal is simple: help kids stay healthy and ease future healthcare costs.
Niwat Roi Kaew, a foundation board member and chair of Rak Chiang Khong, shared a similar concern. He said many children face obesity and diabetes at younger ages. In his view, highly processed convenience foods are replacing safer local foods. As a result, he urged partners to help kids value local, safe, traditional meals again.
Juthamas Ratchaprasit, a senior officer at Community and Mountain Area Development Foundation, said the foundation has worked on child health since 2015 through the “Dek Doi Kin Dee” project. That earlier work found 18% of children had nutrition problems.
Later, during COVID-19 (2020 to 2023), online learning increased screen time and sedentary behavior. So the team expanded into “Dek Kai Dee” to get kids moving again. The project’s main actions include:
- Designing spaces that support physical activity
The team works with the Faculty of Architecture at Chulalongkorn University to adjust local environments so kids can be more active. - Using local wisdom and traditional play
Activities adapt ethnic arts and games, such as tob maphap, fon nok kin kala, and Akha community games, to make movement fun and familiar. - Learning through nature walks
Community ecosystem walks and forest exploration help reduce screen time while building a connection with the local land. - Building local policy and shared systems
Schools, local government, and public health teams coordinate plans and rules that support healthy routines.
One activity, “Nak Suep Kai Dee” (นักสืบกายดี), drew strong interest. Participation rose from 45 students to 500. The project also plans to work with local administrative organizations across the 6 target districts to co-design activities. Once the school term starts, the program will roll out in target schools.
Schools and families both shape outcomes
During the discussion session, Ekkarat Luecha, a former school director and project advisor, said cultural games can connect naturally with exercise. That link helps kids stay motivated because it feels fun, not forced. However, he also stressed food quality. If kids move more but still eat unsafe or low-quality foods, health gains won’t last.
Chakraphan Chuenchokchai, a retired civil servant and older adult representative, pointed to parents as the strongest influence. He encouraged families to exercise together, such as walking 10,000 steps or playing sports at home. He also recommended paying closer attention to where food comes from. Home and school gardens can help reduce reliance on produce that may carry chemical residue.
Porapan Charoenpanyakit, a public health academic (operational level) with the Chiang Rai Provincial Public Health Office (สสจ.), shared local trends in child and teen health behavior.
She said sedentary behavior remains high, so the local target is to keep it under 13 hours per day. At the same time, officials want at least 40% of children to get enough physical activity.
Nutrition trends among children ages 6 to 14 over the last 5 years (2020 to 2024) also show setbacks. The share of children classified as “tall and well-proportioned” dropped from 63.5% in 2020 to 56.0% in 2024. That falls below the goal of more than 59%.
She added that overweight and obesity rates have stayed high. In 2025, the figure stood at 14.9%. Stunting also remained a concern. In 2025, stunting measured 10.9%, which is higher than the target of no more than 10%.
Even more concerning, NCD data for children ages 6 to 14 in Chiang Rai over the past 3 years (2023 to 2025) shows steady increases:
- Diabetes
- 2023: 169 cases
- 2024: 173 cases
- 2025: 198 cases
- High blood pressure
- 2023: 177 cases
- 2024: 186 cases
- 2025: 204 cases
These numbers suggest that NCDs are no longer “adult-only” problems. They are showing up earlier, and they are rising fast.
Six target districts also face mixed malnutrition
Inchai Unnoi, deputy chief medical officer at the Chiang Rai Provincial Public Health Office, said the data reflects a bigger issue: children face multiple forms of malnutrition at the same time. Some are underweight, some are stunted, some are overweight, and many are drifting toward NCD risk.
He also noted that national health data shows the state must spend large budgets on healthcare and medicines for children when these conditions grow. That’s why teamwork matters. When students, families, teachers, local leaders, and health teams work together, the data becomes a tool for action, not just a report. The next step is turning shared plans into daily habits that support healthier kids across the province.
