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. 2008 Jul-Aug;27(4):1064-76.
doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.27.4.1064.

Will China's nutrition transition overwhelm its health care system and slow economic growth?

Barry M Popkin  1
Affiliations

Will China's nutrition transition overwhelm its health care system and slow economic growth?

Barry M Popkin. Health Aff (Millwood). 2008 Jul-Aug.

Erratum in

  • Health Aff (Millwood). 2008 Sep-Oct;27(5):1485

Abstract

Rapid social and economic change is transforming China, with enormous implications for its population and economy. More than a fifth of China's adult population is overweight, related to changing dietary and physical activity patterns. Overweight and poor diets are becoming a greater burden for the poor than for the rich, with subsequent large increases in hypertension, stroke, and adult-onset diabetes. The related economic costs represent 4-8 percent of the economy. Public investments are needed to head off a huge increase in the morbidity, disability, absenteeism, and medical care costs linked with this nutritional shift.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Barry Popkin has no financial interests with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) this paper.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Annual Absolute Change in The Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in 7 Countries from 1985/1995 to 1995/2004 (BMI≥25.0 for Adults; IOTF Equivalent for Children) Source: B.M. Popkin, “Understanding global nutrition dynamics as a step toward controlling cancer morbidity and mortality,” Nature Reviews Cancer 7, (2007): 61–67.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Average Annual Change in Underweight and Overweight among Chinese Adults (1991–2004) Source: China Health and Nutrition Surveys for 1991 and 2004
Figure 3
Figure 3
Trends in the Causes of Mortality in China, 1975–1999
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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