Q: Surveys show that the Chinese people largely enjoy
improved nutrition and health, while at the same time, there is an
increasing number of people suffering from "affluenza." What's the
reason behind this? And what will the government do to help
optimize people's dietary patterns and enhance their
health?
A: Nutrition and health status is an important indicator
reflecting a country or a region's economic and social development,
health-care level and the quality of its people. The past 10 years
have witnessed a prominent improvement in the dietary pattern and
nutrition of China's urban and rural residents. The consumption of
high-quality protein and foods from animal sources as meat, eggs
and poultry is increasing, incidences of malnutrition and
nutritional deficiency have been declining, and the dietary pattern
of rural people is changing tremendously.
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Despite the improvements, poor nutrition and health problems remain
serious. While nutritional deficiency still exits, consuming an
excessive amount of meat, oils and fats and not enough cereal has
given rise to the occurrence of chronic diseases like hypertension,
diabetes and abnormal blood fat levels caused by overweight or
obesity. Moreover, insufficient intake of calcium, iron, vitamin A
and other nutrients is a common problem of urban and rural
residents, as are changes in dietary patterns, lifestyle and
disease spectrum. All this indicates that China is facing the dual
challenges of nutritional deficiency and nutritional imbalance,
making it a top priority for the country to guide its people to
optimize their dietary patterns and to control chronic
diseases.
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For this purpose, work will be done through policy support, market
guidance and public education.
In policy support, China will put forth relevant laws and
regulations and integrate the improvement of people's nutrition and
health into the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) for national
development.
Market guidance involves enhancing scientific guidance to the
agricultural production, food processing and manufacturing of food
additives, to provide people with more foods with rational
nutrients.
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In public education, government departments will join hands with
media and social organizations to popularize health-related
knowledge, helping people foster a rational and scientific dietary
habit and awareness of health.
In addition, plans are being made for the prevention and control
of chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Some
health-care projects have been put into practice in some urban
communities, with satisfactory results.
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China now is at a critical junction where if we fail to carry out
timely scientific guidance, control and prevention of chronic
diseases, we will follow the same old disastrous roads as other
countries.
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