China urges hotels to install scales to tackle rising obesity

China’s health ministry outlined a range of measures, including urging hotels to install scales, to address the country’s rising obesity rate.

The National Health Commission will guide medical institutions to establish clinics to provide professional consultation to help people better manage their weight, commission head Lei Haichao said at a press conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress on Sunday.

He called for more hotels and resorts to provide scales to facilitate weight management and chronic disease prevention. The commission has also hired Chinese Olympic champions to promote weight management across social media, he said.

As of 2020, about one-third of Chinese adults were overweight and roughly 16% were obese, the health commission said in a report last year. Overweight and obesity are tied to higher risks of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.