More Korean women to be obese
Obesity rate for women expected to reach 18% by 2014 By Kwon Mee-yoo Nearly one fifth of Korean women could be obese in four years from Westernized eating habits such as eating too much fast food, an international market research firm said. Datamonitor released a report that more Korean and Chinese women will have weight problems in the years to come, forecasting the obesity rate of Korean women at 18.4 percent and Chinese at 5.1 percent by 2014. They also said Asian women are more likely to be fat than men. Datamonitor analyst Mark Whalley said that obesity is not due to a lack of attention or education. “About 53 percent of consumers in Asia said their biggest goal in weight control is losing weight and some 30 percent of them are already on a diet,” he said. “The increase of obesity in Asia, especially China and Korea is a threat to people’s health as eating habits are becoming Westernized.” He said the result was quite shocking as Asians are generally known for their keen interest in healthy food and a balanced diet. “Tackling obesity is challenging due to