Plan to encourage youngsters to go from fat to fit

The National Health Commission and five other departments recently issued a plan to control the obesity rate among youngsters below 18. The idea is to arrest the rising obesity rate among children, and ensure it drops by 70 percent. The ultimate goal is to bring the obesity rate down to zero.

The rising obesity rate is a major threat to children's health. According to an earlier report prepared jointly by Peking University and the Chinese Nutrition Society, the number of overweight children below 7 might reach 6.64 million, and in the 7-18 group 49.48 million by 2030. Given that 346 million people in China are below 18, it means that unless proper measures are taken, one in every six children or youngsters will be overweight by 2030.

That's a worrying piece of statistics because obese children are at higher risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure, and often end up with respiratory, endocrine or cardiovascular diseases. They even face hormonal and other disorders that affect their reproductive system.

Such health issues increase the burden on the medical insurance system and the healthcare sector while also leading to shortage of healthy human resources. For individuals, they mean huge treatment costs.

To prevent such a scenario, schools, parents and children all need to work hard. Schools need to organize more outdoor activities so that children remain physically fit. Parents should ensure that their kids eat more vegetables and fruits, get enough exercise, and watch their weight.

As for children, there is a need to create greater awareness about obesity and why it is bad for health so that they understand the importance of maintaining their physical health.