Authorities paint 34 point picture of health

Authorities paint 34 point picture of health

• Source: Global Times
• [10:55 March 11 2011]
• Comments

A woman practices Taijiquan at Ditan Park. Photo: Guo Yingguang

By Xu Tianran

City health authorities suggest that bad teeth, lack of sleep, disproportionate body shape and sadness are some of the many obstacles between most Beijingers and a healthy happy life.

In a bid to raise awareness of health issues, the 34 criteria for "healthy Beijingers" were published online by the city health bureau on Wednesday.

The criteria were based on national and international studies, discussions of public health and psychology and sociology experts, Zhao Chunhui, vice director of the Beijing Health Bureau, was quoted as saying by the Qianlong government news website.

The list assesses people aged between 18 and 60 both physically and mentally.

"Anyone who fails to meet any of the points cannot be seen as healthy," said an anonymous employee at the publicity office of the health bureau. "I guess most Beijingers will not meet the criteria," he added.

The criteria were uploaded to the website on Wednesday to solicit public opinion until March 25.

"We set the standards as a guideline or reminder to encourage the citizens to improve their way of life by rectifying their own bad living habits," he said, "then we'll print brochures and distribute them to community residents for free."

Wang Xufeng, Chinese Nutrition Society nutritionist and a popular food therapist, approves of the criteria because they adopt a scientific basis.

Wang took the Body Mass Index (An individual's weight proportionate to their height) as an example, saying that it is a universal method to determine if one's weight is healthy.

"It is also important to quantify health standards," added Wang, "because scientific research tells us that people beyond certain limits will have a higher chance of getting sick," he said.

However, it is commonly thought that many people have to put aside their health in order to cope with busy city life.

"I don't have time for it [my health], I have targets to meet and I have to pay for everything," said a 30-year-old IT equipment salesman surnamed Yin, "guess the only way I can have a healthy life is if I quit my job."

Previously the only major indicators of basic health conditions were life expectancy, infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate, according to a press release on the latest 2009 health survey that was published on May 13 2010.