It seems many graduates lack the discipline needed to join the army

In a recent recruitment exercise, only three out of 20 graduates of a university in the northern city of Tianjin passed a physical test set by the army.

This was not an isolated event, and reflects a nationwide trend, Xinhua said.

Students are becoming fatter and more short-sighted as they spend more and more of their time in front of televisions and computer screens, the report said.

Obesity is a growing concern in China, where being overweight was once a rarity.

Doctors say young people in particular are taking on Western eating habits and eating more and more junk food. Fat farms, where children try to sweat off their excess weight, are booming.

Many women are risking their health by taking diet pills when they are not overweight - as they try to be like the pin-up slim women popular in Chinese media and advertisements.