A recent survey has found that one out of every five children in the north China municipality of Tianjin is overweight.

For each hour a day spent in front of the television the risk increases an average of one to two percent, according to health specialists with the Child Development Center of Tianjin Municipal Women's Federation, organizer of the survey.

The survey, conducted in 10 kindergartens in Tianjin, shows the percentage of overweight children in Tianjin is nearing that of some developed countries.

More than seven percent of the children surveyed exceeded the weight set by the World Health Organization for their height by than 20 percent, a symptom of obesity that needs medical intervention.

Almost 10 percent of the children surveyed were overweight by 10 to 20 percent, a sign that calls for more exercise and less calorie intake.

Experts acknowledged that long hours in front of the television increases the young children's risk of obesity. The obesity rate for those who watch TV for less than an hour each day is 10.8 percent. While those who sit in front of the TV for more than three hours a day is 15.8 percent.

High-calorie junk food that often accompanies the children during their TV sessions exasperates the situation, according to the experts.

Official statistics show that 10 percent of the children in China are obese and the number is increasing by eight percent each year.

In big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, there is an average of one obese child in every five.

Experts are calling for increased awareness about the rising numbers of obese children, and have called for a balanced diet, more physical exercises and less time for TV and computer games.

(China Daily August 20, 2004)