Like the United States, China is grappling with a serious obesity epidemic, with more than 25 percent of its adults considered overweight or obese and the rate of overweight adults in the country growing remarkably fast, reports a new study in Health Affairs. Movement toward a Western diet and declining physical activity are helping drive up obesity and overweight rates among the Chinese, a pattern that researchers predict will double by 2028 without efforts to address the problem.
Along with an increase in obesity, China is experiencing a large increase in nutrition-related causes of death, including coronary heart disease and cancer. According to the study, since 1985, deaths from diseases linked to poor diets have increased from 48 percent to 61.8 percent in urban areas and from 34.5 percent to almost 46 percent in rural areas. The loss in productivity and increased medical costs represents about 4-8 percent of the gross domestic product. Read the abstract.
