Is an economic crisis in China turning the population obese? 

Sept. 6, 2024, 3:28 a.m.

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China is staring at a huge crisis — obesity.

A slowdown in construction and manufacturing work in urban areas is impacting the finances of the poor and driving demand for cheap, often unhealthy food.

While job-related stress, long work hours, and poor dietary habits are contributing to obesity in cities, automation in the agriculture sector and inadequate healthcare are the primary causes of obesity in rural areas.

China’s economy underpinned by technological innovation is causing more jobs to turn desk-bound.

Advertisement A prolonged economic slowdown is forcing people to adopt less expensive, less healthy diets.

These two factors combined pose a significant threat to the well-being of China's citizens.

In recent times, millions of workers have transitioned from construction and manufacturing roles to becoming drivers for ride-sharing or delivery companies.

This has led to a reliance on inexpensive food that is very unhealthy for people.

A food delivery worker rides past an urban village in Shenzhen’s Futian district, Guangdong province. Reuters Meanwhile, parents have cut down on swimming and other sports classes for their children.

China’s fast food market is expected to reach 1.8 trillion yuan ($253.85 billion) in 2025, from 892 billion yuan in 2017, according to Daxue Consulting.

What do experts have to say?

“Economic downturns often lead to changes in people’s lifestyles,” said Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Dietary habits may become irregular, and social activities might decrease.”

“These alterations in daily routines can contribute to an increased incidence of obesity, and consequently, diabetes,” he told Reuters, adding that he expected obesity rates to continue “rising exponentially, burdening the healthcare system.”

In July, Guo Yanhong, a senior official of the National Health Commission (NHC), said that obese and overweight people pose “a major public health issue.” The NHC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Advertisement Xinhua, China’s official news agency reported in the same month that more than half of the country’s adults are obese or overweight, higher than the 37 per cent estimate provided by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

A study by BMC Public Health estimates that costs with weight-related treatments are expected to rise to 22 per cent of the health budget, or 418 billion yuan by 2030, from 8 per cent in 2022. The estimate was “conservative” and did not take into account increases in healthcare costs, it said.

That will add further strain on indebted local governments and reduce China’s ability to direct resources to more productive areas to stimulate growth.

Advertisement How is the government spreading awareness?

China’s NHC and 15 other government departments in July launched public awareness efforts to fight obesity. The campaign, set to last for three years, is built around eight slogans: “lifelong commitment, active monitoring, a balanced diet, physical activity, good sleep, reasonable targets and family action.”

Health guidelines were distributed to primary and secondary schools in July urging regular screenings, daily exercise, hiring nutritionists and implementing healthy eating habits – including lowering salt, oil and sugar intake.

A customer leaves a Real Kungfu restaurant, a popular Chinese fast food chain, at Beijing Railway Station. Reuters The World Health Organization (WHO) defines overweight as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or above. Obesity, on the other hand, is categorized as a BMI of 30 or higher.

Advertisement Only eight per cent of Chinese are considered obese, higher than neighbouring Japan and South Korea, but far lower than the United States’ 42 per cent rate, WHO data show. That’s in part because it’s a relatively new problem in China, which has experienced widespread famine as recently as the 1960s.

“China has undergone an epidemiological transition where diseases associated with under-nutrition have changed to an increase of those with unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles,” said Christina Meyer, health policy analyst at RTI International in Seattle.

How are major economic changes affecting the weight of the population?

As consumers and workers adapt to the structural changes in an economy urbanising rapidly in the coming decade, many overweight Chinese could cross the obesity threshold, doctors say. “The economic downturn in China could lead to an increase in the consumption of low-quality foods, such as fast food, due to income declines,” said Jun Sung Kim, an economist at Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea.

Advertisement “This, in turn, may contribute to obesity.”

China’s fresh push to increase urbanisation rates is a particular concern in light of its “996” culture of working 12-hour shifts, six days a week.

Pui Kie Su, a general practitioner at Raffles Hospital Beijing says some patients report eating to “de-stress” from work.

The proportion of obese boys in China jumped to 15.2 per cent in 2022 from 1.3 per cent in 1990, trailing the United States’ 22 per cent, but higher than Japan’s six per cent, Britain’s and Canada’s 12 per cent and India’s 4 per cent. Obesity in girls rose to 7.7 per cent in 2022 from 0.6 per cent in 1990.

Many students purchase snacks near the school gates or on their way home that tend to be high in salt, sugar and fat content, according to Li Duo, a leading nutrition expert at Qingdao University.

Li added that the government should “further communicate” with food companies, schools, communities and retailers about the risks of obesity caused by junk food or sweetened beverages. “China should ban the sale of junk food and sugary drinks in schools, and there should be no shops selling junk food within a certain distance around schools."

With inputs from Reuters