China is drafting a new national non-communicable diseases
prevention and control program, a senior official has revealed.
The process has been hastened by the publication of a national
survey on China's nutritional health released Tuesday. The report
shows that China continues to face the twin challenges of
nutritional deficiency and imbalance accompanied by a rapid
increase in non-communicable diseases.
It is estimated that more than 160 million people are currently
suffering from hypertension in China, which also has more than 20
million diabetics, 200 million overweight and over 60 million obese
people. Obesity is the most dangerous factor in chronic
illnesses.
These chronic diseases are increasing at a rapid rate due to
unhealthy lifestyles with too much fat intake and too little
exercise.
The energy contribution from fat reached 35 percent in 2002,
exceeding the World Health Organization's recommended upper limit
of 30 percent. In contrast, the energy contribution from cereals
among urban residents is only 47 percent, which is significantly
lower than the recommended range of 55-65 percent. Deficiencies in
iron, vitamin A and other micronutrients are also a common problem
across the country.
At a press conference held by the Information Office of the
State Council on Tuesday Vice Minister of Health, Wang Longde, said
that China lacks nutritionists and his ministry is drafting
relevant regulation to develop the sector. He added that public
awareness of nutritional health needs to be increased in both urban
and rural areas.
Poverty is not the only problem in the countryside; cases of
mothers selling eggs at the market in order to buy sugar or
chocolate for their children have been recorded, as well as high
levels of vitamin A deficiency despite the ready availability of
carrots.
"China has entered into a vital period of health intervention as
its economy rapidly develops. We risk following in the footsteps of
some developed countries," Wang warned.
(China Daily October 13, 2004)