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Plan outlined to prevent childhood, juvenile obesity

Ministries and departments have set a goal of reducing the average annual growth rates in the number of overweight and obese children and adolescents by 70 percent from a baseline during the coming decade.

The baseline will be the average rise in the number of such children from 2002 to 2017, according to a plan on managing childhood and adolescent obesity that was issued on Oct 16 and made public on Oct 23 by six departments, including the National Health Commission and the Ministry of Education.

The problem of obesity has spread nationwide, affecting the physical and mental health of children and adolescents.

In response, the plan specifies measures to be taken by families, schools, medical institutions and government bodies to achieve the goal.

The plan calls on family members to help children maintain a healthy diet, assist them in developing regular exercise as a hobby and monitor weight gain.

The authorities have ordered schools to provide nutritious, balanced diets, and guarantee a specified amount of time for physical activities. Elementary, secondary and high schools should provide at least one hour of medium-intensity exercise per day and more than three hours of high-intensity activities every week, the plan said.