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To the Editor: While 2 recent articles addressed the close relationship between fast food consumption and obesity in both children and adults in the United States,^1-2 the same phenomenon appears likely to be occurring in China.

Childhood obesity shows an alarming increase in prevalence in recent years. In urban China, it increased from 1.5% in 1989 to 12.6% in 1997, and the prevalence of overweight increased from 14.6% to 28.9% in the same period.³ In a more recent report on urban Chinese children, the prevalence of overweight for children was 27.7% in boys and 14.1% in girls.⁴ At the same time, Chinese children are consuming western fast food more quickly than ever.⁵

Tsung O. Cheng, MD
tcheng@mfa.gwu.edu
Department of Medicine
George Washington University Medical Center
Washington, DC

1. Ebbeling CB, Sinclair KB, Pereira MA, Garcia-Lago E, Feldman HA, Ludwig DS. Compensation for energy intake from fast food among overweight and lean adolescents. JAMA. 2004;291:2828-2833. FREE FULL TEXT 2. Hedley AA, Ogden CL, Johnson CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Flegal KM. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999-2002. JAMA. 2004;291:2847-2850. FREE FULL TEXT 3. Luo J, Hu FB. Time trends of obesity in pre-school children in China from 1989 to 1997. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2002;26:553-558. FULL TEXT | WEB OF SCIENCE | PUBMED 4. Iwata F, Hara M, Okada T, Harada K, Li S. Body fat ratios in urban Chinese children. Pediatr Int. 2003;45:190-192. FULL TEXT | WEB OF SCIENCE | PUBMED 5. Cheng TO. Fast food and obesity in China. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003;42:773. FREE FULL TEXT

Letters Section Editor: Robert M. Golub, MD, Senior Editor.

JAMA. 2004;292:1304.

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