A 45-year-old resident surnamed Wu receives a health check at the Kangqiao Subdistrict Community Healthcare Center in Hangzhou on March 13. PAN SONGGANG/YANG SHIJIA/FOR CHINA DAILY

China's battle against obesity intensifies with new health initiative

Last year, the National Health Commission and other departments launched the "Weight Management Year" initiative, aiming to foster a societal emphasis over the next three years on weight management, healthy eating and physical exercise.

The 2020 report on Chinese nutrition and chronic disease released by the NHC revealed that the overweight and obesity rates among Chinese residents age 18 and above have surpassed 50 percent, with nearly 20 percent of children and adolescents age 6 to 17 being obese. Among children under 6 years old, the obesity rate has reached 10 percent. Behind these numbers lies a surge in the risks of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer — every 5 kilograms of weight gained increases the risk of diabetes by 27 percent.

After this year's two sessions, discussions surrounding weight management have captured public attention, becoming a focal point of societal concern. Responding to the public's demand for weight loss, an increasing number of medical institutions have opened specialized weight management clinics to provide tailored and professional solutions for the overweight and obese population, effectively meeting the weight loss needs of the public.

On this visual page, our photographers train their lenses on the issue of weight management.

Zhang Tingting (middle) practices lifting weights at a sports and health center at the Kangqiao subdistrict community on March 13. PAN SONGGANG/YANG SHIJIA/FOR CHINA DAILY