Girls practice on footballs during an outdoor sports activity in Qingdao, Shandong Province. /VCG Photo

China will promote the opening of public sports facilities to children and adolescents free of charge or with a low charge, and encourage primary and middle schools to open their sports facilities to children and adolescents during extracurricular time and holidays, according to the Implementation Plan on Obesity Prevention and Control for Children and Adolescents released on Friday.

The plan was issued by six offices including the General Office of National Health Commission and the General Office of the Ministry of Education, in a bid to solve the problem of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents.

The plan proposes the overall goal of obesity prevention and control. The average annual growth rate of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged zero to 18 years from 2020 to 2030 is expected to decrease by 70 percent compared to that from 2002 to 2017. Families, schools, medical and health institutions, and the government are required to take responsibility to resolve the problem of overweight and obesity among the minors.

Recent years have witnessed a sharp rise in the rate of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents due to the influence of unhealthy lifestyles, which has posed a threat to the physical and mental health of children and adolescents in China.

(Compiled by Huang Yuzhang)