China has the world’s largest population of overweight children, and a new industry has popped up to solve this problem — fat camps.
China’s obesity rate has been on the rise, especially among younger people. A survey found that one in five children aged between 6 and 17 is either overweight or obese. A new industry has popped up to solve this problem — fat camps.
We visited one that helps teenagers lose weight. It’s part of one of China’s largest fat camp chains called The Biggest Loser—no relation to the hit TV show. The company started 15 years ago. Today, it has 31 branches across China. This camp runs all year round, but it’s busiest during summer, when people can take time out from school to be there. Right now, it’s hosting 200 kids.
"We guarantee that the girls will lose at least 7% of their weight. The boys will lose at least 8%," said Ye Shengyu, manager at the Biggest Loser Youth Camp, "t
Fourteen-year-old Han Shuya attended the camp this summer. We followed her to see what motivates her to go through an intense two months. “I gave up everything to come here,” said Shuya, “all I want is to lose weight.”
