China unveils first multidisciplinary diagnosis, treatment guidelines for obesity

BEIJING -- China on Thursday unveiled its first guidelines for the multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of obesity.

Emphasizing a multidisciplinary team-based approach, the guidelines were released to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of the condition and to ensure the quality and safety of medical care, said the National Health Commission (NHC), which led the formulation of the document.

The guidelines address the diagnosis standards, classification and staging of obesity. Its treatment section includes methods for behavioral, psychological and sports-based interventions, medical nutrition therapy, medication treatments, weight-loss and metabolic surgery, as well as approaches from traditional medicine.

According to the guidelines, five medications have been approved in China for weight-loss treatment in adults with primary obesity. No medications have been approved for the treatment of inherited obesity in China.

The second-largest economy is combating obesity, largely a "sweet burden" of affluence. More than half of adults in the country are overweight or obese, and the rate could reach 65.3 percent by 2030, according to a 2020 report from the NHC.

China had struggled for centuries to feed its vast population. And undernourishment was a genuine concern for many families before the reform and opening-up started in the late 1970s. Obesity has emerged as an unintended consequence of improving living standards in the country.