Chinese Government Seeks to Promote Healthy Lifestyle

It is back to basics to Chinese now in terms of personal habits. Brush your teeth, wash your hands and bathe frequently, their government is telling them.

A circular compiled by experts and circulated by the Ministry of Health (MOH) lists as many as 33 do’s and don’ts.

Other tips include gargling after every meal, covering mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing and refraining from spitting. People are also commanded not to share towels or toilet articles.

The Chinese concept of health, which means more than just not being ill or weak, is a combination of physical and mental health and social adaptation, the circular proclaims.

The ministry stressed the cleanliness of drinking water. It also ordered relevant departments to promptly report cases of ailing or dead livestock, which can't be used for food.

It also said that pregnant women should have at least five pre-natal exams, while for other people, an annual check-up was needed.

The MOH advised the public to learn to use condoms correctly to reduce the danger of transmitting or catching AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, reports news agency Xinhua.

The health standard of the Chinese people has been improved substantially, it has been claimed.

The national mortality rate has dropped from 30 per thousand in the early 1950s to 6.5 percent; the infant mortality rate, from 200 per thousand to 33.1 per thousand; and the mortality rate of pregnant women and women in labor, from 1,500 per ten thousand to 63.6 per ten thousand.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the life expectancy of the Chinese people averaged 35 only. By the end of 1996, the figure surged to 70.80. Life expectancy of women averaged 73.04, and that of men, 68.71. The average life expectancy of Chinese residents was eight years lower than that of the residents of developed countries, but 10 years higher than that of the residents of other developing countries.

Source-Medindia
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