More than 500 million people in China are overweight: Study 

Obesity is on the rise in China as a report from its National Health Commission published recently revealed that more than 50 percent of China's adults are classified as overweight. 

Obesity rates among Chinese adults have also more than doubled in less than two decades, from 7.1% in 2002 to 16.4% this year, reports BBC. 

Of the nearly 500 million overweight people are obese in China.

The country's rapid economic growth in recent decades has led to major changes to lifestyle, diet and exercise habits.

The Chinese government unveiled plans to tackle rising levels of obesity in October this year.

A higher body mass increases the risk for a number of diseases including heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Studies showed that overweight or obese individuals are more likely to suffer severe complications or death from Covid-19.

The said report blamed decreasing levels of physical activity for the obesity problem as less than a quarter of the adult population in China exercising at least once a week.

A growing appetite for meat and low consumption of fruit were also identified as factors behind the rise.

Wang Dan, a nutritionist in the city of Harbin, told the AFP news agency that many adults in the country now "exercise too little, are under too much pressure, and have an unhealthy work schedule".

China is not the only country to have seen an increase in the number of overweight or obese people in recent years.

Earlier this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that levels of obesity across the world had tripled since 1975, including in low and middle-income countries.

Almost 40 percent of adults were overweight in 2016 and around 13 percent were obese, according to the WHO's own estimates.