| ■ Childhood Obesity a Major Problem in China | 2008.05.27 |
| Nearly one in five Chinese children under 7 years old is overweight, and more than seven percent are obese, according to a Chinese National Task Force on Childhood Obesity study released at the annual meeting of the World Health Organization. "These numbers are higher than in European countries, while the gross domestic product in China is much lower," study leader Ding Zongyi told Agence France-Presse. "Only the United States (has) higher rates." The researchers examined data on 80,000 children in 11 major cities and found a 156 percent increase in obese children and a 52 percent increase in overweight children between 1996 and 2006. "This rate of increase has gone out of control," said Ding, who told AFP that Chinese children are eating too much high-fat, high sugar foods and aren't getting enough exercise. |