Study warns of increase of obesity in China
The overall prevalence of overweight was 32.3% (male 34.3%; female 30.2%), and the prevalence of obesity was 14.6% (male 16.3%; female 12.8%)
One in three people is overweight and one in seven is obese in Jilin Province, north east China, finds a large study, published in the online journal BMJ Open. The researchers base their findings on a population survey of nearly 21, 000 randomly selected people aged 18 to 79, from the Jilin Province in 2012. Regular intake of meat and alcohol, having ever been married, and getting less than seven hours sleep a night were all associated with a heightened risk, the research showed.
China is the largest developing country, with the largest population, in the world. Its rapid economic growth has spawned changes in dietary habits and lifestyle that are associated with growing levels of overweight/obesity in developed nations. In their study, ‘Prevalence of overweight and obesity and some associated factors among adult residents of northeast China: a cross-sectional study’, the researchers therefore wanted to find out the prevalence of obesity/overweight in a densely populated area of China (Jilin Province has a population of 27 million) and uncover influential factors associated with overweight and obesity that might inform future health policy.
In total, 9,873 men and 10,966 women completed a detailed questionnaire on lifestyle factors and marital status and underwent a physical examination. To take account of the Chinese physique, obesity was classified as a BMI of 28 while overweight was classified as a BMI within the range of 24 to 27.9.
The researchers report that the overall prevalence of overweight was 32.3% (male 34.3%; female 30.2%), and the prevalence of obesity was 14.6% (male 16.3%; female 12.8%) in Jilin Province. The prevalence of both overweight and obesity were higher in men than women (p<0.001). Influencing factors included sex, age, marriage status, occupation, smoking, drinking, diet and hours of sleep (p<0.05).
Among men, the prevalence of overweight peaked at ages 45 to 54, while the prevalence of overweight and obesity peaked at the ages of 55-64 and 65-79, respectively among women.
People who drank alcohol regularly were 11% more likely to be overweight/obese than those who never or rarely drank, while those who ate meat regularly were 47% more likely to be overweight/obese than those who ate a predominantly vegetarian diet.
Overweight and obesity were also more common among those who slept less than seven hours a night than among those who slept more than this.
“Overweight and obesity have become a major public health problem in China, although the prevalence of obesity is lower than in developed countries,” write the researchers. “And there is no doubt that the rapidly increasing occurrence of overweight and obesity in China will continue to increase the prevalence of chronic diseases.”
