A file photo of children doing exercises [Photo: cankaoxiaoxi.com]

According to a new report, obesity is on the rise among rural Chinese children as a Western-style diet, high in sugar and carbohydrates, gains in popularity.

Researchers carried out a survey over 29-years, involving 28,000 children aged between seven to 18, in China's eastern Shandong province, which has just been published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology.

They found that 17 percent of boys and nine per cent of girls were classed as obese in 2014, up from under one percent for both genders in 1985.

The study also found that the trend was growing faster in children aged seven-12 than in adolescents.

The researchers urged a change in diet and an increase in physical activity.

Last year, a Chinese national report said adult obesity rates had reached 9.6 percent in 2012, more than doubling in a decade.

Also, a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in March 2015 said three out of four people in China were in poor cardiovascular health, which is a major cause of death in China.

In addition, the prevalence of diabetes has more than doubled in 10 years.

A major survey in April, published in The Lancet medical journal, has predicted that one in five adults in the world could be obese by 2025.