A study conducted by China's National Health Commission says that 50.7% of Chinese adults are overweight, including those who are obese. So what is the reason behind this? Read to know.
Looks like Chinese are not doing well, health-wise. According to a study conducted by the country's National Health Commission revealed earlier this week, more than half of Chinese adults are now considered overweight. Also, obesity rates among Chinese adults have more than doubled in less than two decades, from 7.1% in 2002 to 16.4% this year.
The report stated that the obesity rate continues to rise among all age groups, adding that 50.7% of Chinese adults are overweight, including those who are obese.
That's a marked increase over the past two decades. In 2002, 29.9% of Chinese adults were overweight, including obese. In 2012, that figure rose to 42%, according to previous reports released by Chinese health authorities.
The 2020 Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status Report of Chinese Residents was based on monitoring and investigations covering nearly 600 million people nationwide.
Among men and women aged 18 and above, the average weight is 69.6 kilograms and 59 kilograms, respectively, which is 3.4 kilograms and 1.7 kilograms more than that in 2015. But meanwhile, the average height of men and women aged 18 to 44 also increased by 1.2 cm and 0.8 cm to 169.7 cm and 158 cm respectively.
Physical inactivity is one important factor related to obesity, the report showed, noting that fewer than one-quarter of Chinese adults exercise at least once a week. Excessive consumption of meat, combined with low consumption of fruit, soy and dairy products, contributed to the overweight problem.
Children in China have become heavier as well. About 10 per cent of children under 6 years old are obese, and the rate reaches 20 per cent for children aged 6 to 17, according to the report.
For children, frequent consumption of sugary drinks is a prominent cause, said the report. About one-fifth of primary and middle school students in China "often" drink sugary beverages, it noted.
As the obesity problem worsens, the incidence of chronic diseases is also on the rise. Rates of hypertension, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer, which are the leading causes of death in China, have all increased compared with 2015.
"High prevalence and wide coverage is the main characteristic of the current obesity situation of Chinese people," said Zhao Wenhua, chief nutritionist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, at a press conference to release the report.
"Our country's residents face a severe problem of overweight and obesity. The overweight and obesity rates among residents in both urban and rural areas and across all age groups are steadily rising," said Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 4 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese.
Worldwide, obesity has been on the rise too, having nearly tripled since 1975, according to WHO. In 2016, 39% of adults globally -- or more than 1.9 billion people -- were overweight, including over 650 million who were obese.
China has a tougher weight measurement than global standards. The WHO considers a body mass index (BMI) -- a ratio of weight to height -- over 25 to be overweight, and more than 30 obese. In China, a BMI greater than 24 is considered overweight, and over 28 is obese.
