Dr. Wang Co-authors Publication in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Dr. Liang Wang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, has published an article in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition entitled “New national data show alarming increase in obesity and noncommunicable chronic diseases in China”.

The authors examined changes in nutritional status and noncommunicable chronic diseases in China between 2002 and 2012, highlighting the growing epidemic of obesity and noncommunicable diseases in China. The high rates and steady increase are likely results of multiple factors including rapid economic growth, urbanization and shifts in  lifestyles. Lifestyle risk factors such as smoking (52.9% of men), unhealthy diet (e.g., inadequate consumption of vegetables and fruits, excessive intake of fat and sodium), lack of physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and prevalent alcohol consumption have contributed to the rapid rise in the health issues. The authors conclude more effective actions are needed to promote healthy lifestyles and control noncommunicable chronic disease in China.

Co-authors on the paper include Dr. Youfa Wang, Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health and Director of System-oriented Global Childhood Obesity Intervention Program at the University at Buffalo, and Dr. Weidong Qu, Associate Dean and Professor in the Department of Environmental Safety at Fudan University in Shanghai.