Chinese experts call for addressing obesity

BEIJING — Chinese health experts have called for efforts to address the rising overweight and obesity prevalence rate in China among various age groups.

The overweight and obesity rate among adults is more than 50 percent, while that among children aged six to 17 is 19 percent and children under six 10.4 percent, said Kong Lingzhi, a member of the Healthy China initiative promotion committee, at a press conference by the National Health Commission (NHC) on July 16.

Besides improved medical efforts, the whole society should act together to prevent and control overweight and obesity, said Kong. Kong added that targeted measures and a coordinated mechanism are required to tackle the issue.

Concerning childhood obesity, special attention should be paid to children under six, according to Zhao Wenhua, the chief nutritionist with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Zhao suggested parents should cultivate good eating habits in their children from an early age, engage them in sports activities, and control their intake of sugary drinks.

The NHC regularly monitors the nutrition and health status of residents, said Zhao. He added that China implemented a nutritional improvement program for rural students receiving compulsory education, focusing on preventing overweight and obesity.