Study: Chinese Fatter, but More Fit

Chinese men are fatter than they were five years ago, but overall Chinese are more physically fit, a government survey released Monday said.

The survey of nearly half a million people between the ages of 3 and 69 found that 33.2 percent of adult males were overweight, a 1.3 percentage points higher than a similar survey conducted in 2000, according to the nationwide survey conducted by nine government agencies. Obesity also edged up, the survey said, with 9.3 percent of adult males qualifying as obese, 1.7 percentage points higher than five years ago.

The findings highlight how China's rapid transformation over two decades from dire poverty to relative prosperity is having an impact on lifestyles. With food no longer scarce, Chinese are eating more meat and other fattier foods, and the busy pace of urban life has helped make Western-style fast-food popular.

Overall, however, the survey, which was conducted last year, said that Chinese were slightly more physically fit than five years ago. The survey found that people in urban areas _ where a professional middle class is emerging alongside the vibrant free-market economy _ were in better physical shape than rural areas and that people in the better-off, more economically developed coastal areas were more fit than those in the west.

To assess overall fitness, the survey used a composite index that factored in everything from the subject's age, weight and blood pressure to the speed of a 50-yard dash and the ability to stand on one leg. That composite index showed Chinese were overall 0.75 percent more fit than in 2000.