Obesity is a growing condition among Chinese children. (Photo : Reuters)
The health of Chinese citizens has once again taken the forefront as China's health authority, along with the All-China Journalists Association (ACJA), kicked off a public campaign advocating healthy eating. In the dietary balance campaign, citizens are advised to eat a half kilo of vegetables and a quarter kilogram of fruits every day.
According to a statement released by the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), the campaign will be launched in several cities across the country, including Chengdu in Sichuan Province, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province.
The campaign was inspired by a recent report released by the NHFPC on June 30. The "2015 Report on Chinese Nutrition and Chronic Disease" highlighted the rise of obesity and weight gain in the country.
According to the report, "the obesity rate among adults was 11.9 percent in 2012, a rise of 67.7 percent from 2002, and 6.4 percent among children and adolescents, a rate tripling that of 2002."
The report also stated the average weights for both genders, with men weighing 66.2 kilograms and women weighing 57.3 kilograms. Both weights indicate that men and women are 2-3 kilograms heavier than in 2002.
In a report by the Global Times, an average Chinese person is said to consume an amount of fat that is 30 percent more than their energy intake. Consumption of fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, is being slowly put on the wayside for richer meals.
The rise of obesity in China not only reflects the lack of discipline among citizens when it comes to eating habits; it is also reflective of a major underlying healthcare policy problem in the country. Underdiagnosis was highlighted by The Guardian as a serious concern for Chinese healthcare policy planners in an article published February of this year.
With an estimated 300 million Chinese obese people in the country, the Chinese government hopes to promote healthy eating habits through the campaign, a joint effort between the ACJA and NHFPC. Aside from obesity, the campaign also emphasizes the risks of chronic diseases.
