As China builds fewer houses and bridges, its consumers buy cheaper, less-healthy meals, and as factories and farms invest in automation, a new fiscal challenge is emerging: the country’s obesity rate may grow much faster and add to healthcare costs.
Job stress, long work hours and poor diets are growing high-risk factors in the cities, while in rural areas, agriculture work is becoming less physically demanding and inadequate healthcare is leading to poor screening and treatment of weight
problems, doctors and academics say.
China is facing a twin challenge that feeds its weight problem: In a modernising economy underpinned by technological innovation, more jobs have become static or desk-bound, while a prolonged slowdown in growth is forcing people to adopt cheaper, unhealthy diets.
With housing and infrastructure already abundant, for instance, millions of workers have switched from construction and manufacturing jobs to driving for ride-sharing or delivery
companies in recent years.
In a deflationary environment, consumers prefer cheaper meals, which can be unhealthy. Parents cut down on swimming or other sport classes. China’s fast food market is expected to reach 1.8 trillion yuan ($253.85 billion) in 2025, from 892 billion yuan in 2017, according to Daxue Consulting.
“Economic downturns often lead to changes in peoples lifestyles,” said Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Dietary habits may
become irregular, and social activities might decrease.”
“These alterations in daily routines can contribute to an increased incidence of obesity, and consequently, diabetes,” he said, adding that he expected obesity rates to continue “rising exponentially, burdening the healthcare system.”
In July, Guo Yanhong, a senior official of the National Health Commission (NHC), said that obese and overweight people pose “a major public health issue.”
The NHC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Xinhua, China’s official news agency reported in the same month that more than half of the country’s adults are obese or overweight, higher than the 37% estimate provided by the World Health Organisation.
A study by BMC Public Health estimates that costs with weight-related treatments are expected to rise to 22% of the health budget, or 418 billion yuan by 2030, from 8% in 2022. The estimate was “conservative” and did not take into account increases in healthcare costs, it said.
That will add further strain on indebted local governments and reduce China’s ability to direct resources to more productive areas to stimulate growth.
With Reuters inputs
