Leading a healthy lifestyle: the challenges for China

Increasing affluence and changing lifestyles are resulting in a greater burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in China. The challenge of how to counter the rising rates of obesity associated with increasingly sedentary lifestyles and diets higher in fats and sugars as well as countering the persistent threat from high rates of tobacco smoking among men, including male doctors, need to be public health priorities within the rapidly developing economy of China. While promoting a healthier environment is one important element, the increasing rates of diabetes and hypertension throw into sharp relief the need not only for primary prevention but also for screening programs to detect and provide early treatment for these common diseases. There is an increasing need for an integrated response that emphasizes the key role the health system can play in preventing mortality and morbidity from NCDs. As such, this needs to be a priority within the health care reform agenda.