Healthy food and a healthy urban environment are of far-reaching importance for China to curb the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents, Li Ning, a food safety expert, said on Thursday.

Li made the remarks at a symposium held in Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, on the influence of the urban environment on the health of minors.

The overweight and obesity rate climbed to 19 percent among the population aged between six and 17 years, according to the dietary guidelines for Chinese residents (2022), which means approximately one in every five children and adolescents lives with the health problem in the country. The figure was 18 percent in 2015.

China has vowed to bring the rising global trend under control in a national program for child development through 2030.

Science-based diets

Over the past few years, China has regulated food security and nutrition management in schools, carried out plans on child and adolescent obesity prevention, and released dietary guidelines for school-age children, among other efforts to improve the diet and nutrition of children in the country.

The Healthy China Initiative (2019-2030), a national document on population health improvement, advised children and adolescents to master the skills of selecting food and creating balanced recipes, have breakfast daily, and choose fruits, nuts, or yogurt as snacks between two meals.

Experts said at the symposium that science-based diets are considered the most cost-effective to intervene in overweight and obesity development.

They called on the public to reduce their consumption of salt, edible oil and sugar in their diets and help children develop the concept of living a healthy life.

The symposium was co-hosted by the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, the Chinese Nutrition Society and UNICEF China.

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(With input from Xinhua)