The obesity rate among Taiwanese children now rivals that in the U.S., with a quarter classed as overweight or morbidly obese, a doctor said on Sunday after compiling nationwide figures.

The number of children in Taiwan classed as overweight or obese has surged from 6 percent a decade ago to 25 percent, not far off U.S. levels of about one-third, said doctor Chu Nian-feng (祝年豐) of Shuang Ho Hospital near Taipei.

After amassing health data from across the country, Chu said that as in the West, junk food, sugary drinks and lack of exercise were all to blame. But the academic culture was also a factor, Chu said, with pushy parents keeping their children glued to schoolbooks.

“Ten or 20 years ago, Taiwanese children took in 400-500 calories a meal, but now many kids eat 1,000 or even up to 2,000 calories a meal,” said the doctor, whose hospital is part of Taipei Medical University. “They watch TV, play video games and computers. In such circumstances, how can they not become overweight?”

Overweight or obese children have a far higher risk of developing cardiovascular disorders later in life, Chu said.

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