Recently, a national obesity rate distribution map went viral. What level has China's obesity rate reached? Which provinces have the highest obesity rates?

Northern provinces generally have higher obesity rates than southern ones. When discussing obesity, Body Mass Index (BMI) is a common indicator for measuring obesity, calculated as: BMI = weight (kg) ÷ height (meters) squared. According to China's adult BMI classification standards, the threshold values are: underweight (BMI<18.5), normal weight (18.5≤BMI<24), overweight (24≤BMI<28), and obese (BMI≥28). This means if your BMI falls between 18.5 and 24, congratulations - you preliminarily meet healthy weight standards.

However, BMI can only calculate "visible fat" distributed in the limbs, but is powerless against "invisible fat" stored around internal organs, which poses higher health risks. Therefore, more professional obesity assessment requires waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio measurements. Some people may have slim limbs and normal weight but large bellies, which requires vigilance. Male waist circumference ≥90cm and female ≥85cm indicates abdominal obesity, also called "central obesity." When male waist-to-hip ratio exceeds 0.9 and female exceeds 0.8, it indicates high-risk groups with excess visceral fat, and ratios above 1.0 also belong to abdominal obesity.

Recently, the China CDC's Chronic Disease Center, in collaboration with China Weather Network, launched the first "National Obesity Rate Distribution Map" targeting adult populations, excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. All 31 provinces nationwide were divided into 5 different "obesity zones."

The first tier, with the lowest obesity rates, includes Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Qinghai, and Ningxia, with an average of one obese person per ten people. The fifth tier, with the highest obesity rates, consists entirely of northern provinces: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, and Liaoning, where one in five people is obese. Shaanxi, along with Shanghai, Hubei, Anhui, Chongqing, Sichuan, and Hainan, ranks in the third tier, belonging to the middle range.

Clearly, comparison reveals disparities - no province is free from obesity, with the lowest proportion reaching 10% and the highest 20%. It's important to emphasize that this obesity rate map excludes minors and uses only BMI≥28 as the sole criterion, so it cannot comprehensively and accurately reflect the true obesity situation. If abdominal obesity groups were included, the obesity rate data might be even more alarming.

Overall, northern regions have generally higher obesity rates than southern regions. Many factors contribute to this phenomenon. The China CDC's Chronic Disease Center explains that "it's hidden in genetics, diet, physical activity levels, lifestyle habits, and social environmental factors."

Notably, the China CDC's Chronic Disease Center and China Weather Network also jointly released the "National Exercise Rate Distribution Map." Exercise rate refers to the proportion of people who usually participate in moderate-intensity or higher exercise at least one day per week during leisure time, with each exercise session lasting at least 10 minutes.

This map also divides the exercise rates of 31 provinces nationwide into 5 levels from low to high. The first tier, with the lowest exercise rates, includes Chongqing, Guizhou, Guangxi, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Hebei. The fifth tier, with the highest exercise rates, includes Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu, Beijing, and Tianjin. Shaanxi, along with Xinjiang, Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei and other provinces, ranks in the third tier.

The Beijing-Tianjin region and eastern to southern coastal areas have relatively high exercise rates. However, comparing both national obesity and exercise rate maps, Guangdong is one of the few provinces with the highest exercise rate and lowest obesity rate. Interestingly, Beijing and Tianjin not only rank in the highest obesity rate tier but also in the highest exercise rate tier.

Weight is also a national concern. This isn't the first national obesity rate map. In 2023, Professor Mu Yiming's team from the First Medical Center of PLA General Hospital publicly released a digital "China Obesity Map." Comprehensively speaking, various "obesity maps" from different sources show inconsistent provincial rankings. Therefore, the important aspect of this official release isn't specific rankings, but rather conveying a crucial message - weight isn't just a personal issue, but also a national concern.

As early as 2016, the renowned medical journal "The Lancet" published a global adult weight survey report showing that the number of obese people had surpassed thin people, and China had overtaken the United States to become the country with the most obese people.

According to the "Report on Nutrition and Chronic Disease Status of Chinese Residents (2020)," overweight and obesity rates among all age groups nationwide continue to rise. Adult obesity rates have reached 34.3% and 16.4% respectively, with overweight and obesity prevalence exceeding 50%. The overweight and obesity rate among children and adolescents aged 6-17 approaches 20%, while children under 6 reach 10%.

The increasing number of obese people, showing a trend toward younger ages, especially with accompanying direct or indirect medical expenses and socioeconomic burdens rising correspondingly, makes obesity a heart-wrenching reality and a concerning trend.

Wu Jing, Director of the China CDC's Chronic Disease Center, stated that currently, China faces severe chronic disease burden problems, with four major chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases and cancer accounting for nearly 90% of total deaths. Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and various cancers, bringing enormous disease and economic burdens globally and becoming a major public health issue in China.

The newly released "Weight Management Guidelines (2024 Edition)" warns: if overweight and obesity problems aren't effectively controlled, by 2030, China's adult and child overweight and obesity rates will reach 70.5% and 31.8% respectively.

The WHO points out that obesity is preventable and reversible. However, from practical experience, relatively successful countries have only managed to prevent further rapid increases in obesity rates. As acknowledged, the importance of healthy lifestyles is already consensus, but developing healthy lifestyle habits is destined to be easier said than done.