<p>More than half of adults in China are now overweight, official figures showed Wednesday, with increasingly sedentary lifestyles among the country's growing middle class translating to expanding waistlines.</p>.<p>China has experienced rapid economic growth in recent decades that has profoundly changed eating habits -- massively popular online delivery apps make cheap, calorie-rich meals available to city dwellers at all hours.</p>.<p>That growth now means that more than 50 percent of people are overweight for the first time, according to a National Health Commission report published Wednesday, out of which 16.4 percent are considered obese.</p>.<p>That proportion is nearly double the 29 percent of adults classified as overweight or obese in 2002.</p>.<p>Many adults in China now "exercise too little, are under too much pressure, and have an unhealthy work schedule," Wang Dan, a nutritionist in the northeastern city of Harbin, told AFP.</p>.<p>Chinese children are also increasingly overweight, the report revealed, with 20 percent of 6 to 17-year-olds now heavier than the healthy limit compared to 16% in 2012.</p>.<p>Being overweight is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.</p>.<p>The worst-affected country in Asia remains Malaysia, where around 65% are overweight or obese, according to the WHO in 2019.</p>.<p>Adult obesity is on the rise across the world, in both prosperous regions as well as areas where people are unable to afford healthy diets of fruits, vegetables and protein-rich foods.</p>
<p>More than half of adults in China are now overweight, official figures showed Wednesday, with increasingly sedentary lifestyles among the country's growing middle class translating to expanding waistlines.</p>.<p>China has experienced rapid economic growth in recent decades that has profoundly changed eating habits -- massively popular online delivery apps make cheap, calorie-rich meals available to city dwellers at all hours.</p>.<p>That growth now means that more than 50 percent of people are overweight for the first time, according to a National Health Commission report published Wednesday, out of which 16.4 percent are considered obese.</p>.<p>That proportion is nearly double the 29 percent of adults classified as overweight or obese in 2002.</p>.<p>Many adults in China now "exercise too little, are under too much pressure, and have an unhealthy work schedule," Wang Dan, a nutritionist in the northeastern city of Harbin, told AFP.</p>.<p>Chinese children are also increasingly overweight, the report revealed, with 20 percent of 6 to 17-year-olds now heavier than the healthy limit compared to 16% in 2012.</p>.<p>Being overweight is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.</p>.<p>The worst-affected country in Asia remains Malaysia, where around 65% are overweight or obese, according to the WHO in 2019.</p>.<p>Adult obesity is on the rise across the world, in both prosperous regions as well as areas where people are unable to afford healthy diets of fruits, vegetables and protein-rich foods.</p>