Curbing the obesity epidemic in China

In the past few decades, obesity has become a major public health concern worldwide. It was estimated to account for 3·4 million deaths and 3·8% of disability-adjusted life-years worldwide in 2010. 1 Ng M Fleming T Robinson M et al. Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. 2014; 384: 766-781 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (8020) Google Scholar In China, rapid economic development and associated dramatic lifestyle changes have led to a substantial increase in the prevalence of obesity and related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, which is concerning for a developing country with a population of 1·37 billion. 2 Xu Y Wang L He J et al. for the 2010 China Noncommunicable Disease Surveillance GroupPrevalence and control of diabetes in Chinese adults. JAMA. 2013; 310: 948-959 Crossref PubMed Scopus (2319) Google Scholar , 3 Ning G Bloomgarden Z Diabetes and cancer: findings from the REACTION study. J Diabetes. 2015; 7: 143-144 Crossref PubMed Scopus (28) Google Scholar , 4 Chen Z The management of chronic non-communicable diseases is an uneasy long haul. Chin J Endocrinol Metab. 2015; 31 (in Chinese).: 837-838 Google Scholar Periodic national health surveys provide essential information for monitoring trends over time and for formulation of disease prevention strategies. In The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Ye Tian and colleagues 5 Tian Y Jiang C Wang M et al. BMI, leisure-time physical activity, and physical fitness in adults in China: results from a series of national surveys, 2000–14. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2016; (published online April 28.)http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(16)00081-4 PubMed Google Scholar report estimates of secular trends in obesity, leisure-time physical activity, and physical fitness in Chinese adults between 2000 and 2014. They identified increases in the prevalence of overweight (estimated increase 0·27% per year, 95% CI 0·25–0·30; p<0·0001), obesity (0·32% per year, 0·30–0·33; p<0·0001), and central obesity (0·78% per year, 0·76–0·80; p<0·0001). These findings show that the epidemic of obesity is a major health problem in China and that more comprehensive and proactive public health strategies are needed to reduce its prevalence. BMI, leisure-time physical activity, and physical fitness in adults in China: results from a series of national surveys, 2000–14Despite increased participation in LTPA, we noted increases in overweight or obesity and a decrease in physical fitness in Chinese adults. Continued nationwide interventions are needed to promote physical activity and other healthy lifestyle behaviours in China. Full-Text PDF