For Chinese students: High weight is equal to low marks!

In order to curb obesity a Chinese university has linked students weight loss with their grades, so that obese students control their diet and exercise more

AChinese university has come up with a unique idea to curb obesity among students by offering a course which links students’ weight loss directly to their marks. The course at the Nanjing Agricultural University in Jiangsu Province aims to encourage overweight students to control their diets and increase exercise.

Zhou Quanfu, the teacher who runs the course, said 60 per cent of students’ grade will be determined by their weight loss. If they shed 7 per cent of their original weight, they can pass the course, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

According to a girl at the university, the students are running on treadmills in the school’s fitness room and walking 10 kilometres every Monday and Friday evening. Every Wednesday afternoon, the teacher leads them on a mountain-climbing excursion.

“We use mobile apps to record daily food intake,” said the student. Before eating, they send photos of their food via a mobile app for suggestions from nutritionists. According to Zhou, only students with more than 30 per cent body fat or a body mass index over 28 can sign up for the course. Physical fitness test data showed that between 2013 and 2014, around 13 per cent of students in Zhou’s university were obese. He expressed hope that the course will help them lose weight and become more confident.

Zhou Quanfu, the teacher who runs the course, said 60 per cent of students’ grade will be determined by their weight loss. If they shed 7 per cent of their original weight, they can pass the course.