This Day, That Year

Item from Aug 2, 1990, in China Daily: Overweight children are fighting the flab at a special Beijing summer camp where all the activities are intended to help them slim down . ...

It is estimated that three out of 100 teenagers in the capital are overweight, and the number is rising.

Obesity is a growing concern for Chinese health authorities.

Three decades ago, few people in China were overweight. As the economy improved after reform and opening-up, changes in food and beverage consumption habits have led to a rise in obesity.

The problem is rampant in big cities such as Beijing.

Recent data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the obesity rate in the capital was 25.9 percent, compared with the national average of 11.9 percent.

The center defined “overweight” adults as those with a body mass index between 25 and 30, and those with a BMI of 30 or more as “obese”.

To reduce student obesity, boarding schools in the capital have been banned from selling soft drinks in cafeterias, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning said.

Pilot healthy cafeterias have been established in 59 schools.

About 20 percent of students in primary, middle and high schools in Beijing are overweight, according to a survey by the city health commission. Among obese children, about 30 percent also suffer from high levels of blood sugar and fat.