The prevalence of obesity and related chronic diseases will significantly increase in China in the next 10 to 20 years, and two of every three Chinese may become overweight if no actions are taken, said a health expert from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), People's Daily reported Thursday.

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According to the newest survey on nutrition and health status of the Chinese population, China had nearly 300 million overweight or obese people in 2002, and 22.8 percent of Chinese adults over 18 years old were overweight and 7.1 percent were obese.

Obesity and being overweight are becoming a particularly prominent problem among urban children and adolescents. A national health survey in 2005 shows that 13.25 percent of urban boys between 7 and 22 are overweight, and 11.39 percent are classified as obese.

The obesity rate will also bring a heavy burden to health care and health resources. The medical costs for and mortality rate of diseases caused by obesity are much higher than those caused by other diseases, including cancer and AIDS.

And by 2020, the Chinese mainland will have 85 percent of deaths attributed to chronic diseases, of which about 70 percent will occur in the labor force, according to the report.