China's child overweight, obesity rates drop to below 10%

BEIJING -- The rates of overweight and obesity among Chinese children under the age of 6 decreased from 10.4 percent five years ago to the current 9.7 percent, head of the National Health Commission Lei Haichao said on Thursday.

The incidence rate of macrosomia, or large-for-gestational-age infants, has dropped for five consecutive years during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Lei told a press conference.

The nutritional status of children in China has continued to improve, with the stunting rate among children under 6 years old nationwide dropping to 4.5 percent and the underweight rate decreasing to 1.4 percent, Lei added.