Beijing, Jan 6 (IANS) Two in three Chinese could be overweight in the next 20 years, which will significantly increase health problems in the country, a health expert warned here.
China had nearly 300 million overweight people in 2002. The problem is becoming particularly prominent among the urban children and adolescents, a study on nutrition and health status of the Chinese population said.
A national health survey in 2005 showed that 13.25 percent of urban boys between seven and 22 years were overweight, and 11.39 percent were obese, China Daily reported Thursday.
A health expert from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the prevalance of obesity and the related chronic diseases will significantly increase in China in the next 10 to 20 years, and two in three Chinese may become overweight if no actions are taken.
The obesity rate will bring a heavy burden to health care and health resources. The medical costs for diseases caused by obesity are much higher than those caused by other diseases like cancer and AIDS, the daily said.
Eighty-five percent of the deaths in China by 2010 will be caused by chronic diseases, of which about 70 percent will occur in the labour force, it said citing the report.
