New Delhi: This summer at least 40 children in Beijing are paying $825 per head to attend a summer camp, but this camp is not just about fun.
The OK Slim summer camp is designed to fight obesity, a growing problem amongst children in China.
A typical day starts with aerobics, followed by a break for fruits, and a game of basketball and other physical activity in the afternoon.
And the three regular meals they eat are all low fat.
"My weight has gone beyond the limit for my age, so it is time for me to lose some weight," 10-year-old participant, Tang Tang said.
Over the past five years, several parts of China have reported a 50 per cent increase in obesity among school students. And increasing cyber games and junk food culture is not helping this figure.
"Most kids are fat because they are not leading a healthy life. For example, they don't eat healthy food. They do not have enough nutrition they need but they eat a lot of high-calorie food instead, which leads body fat to accumulate in their bodies," manager of the summer camp, Wang Xiaochun said.
Studies show that China is facing an obesity epidemic with about 18 million people obese and 137 million overweight raising their risk of heart disease and other illnesses.
It is summer camps like these that are catching them young and this just might be the answer to the weighty problem.
Tahir Bhasin
Source: CNN-IBN
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