“Our estimates suggest that the continued rise in high blood pressure, an increasingly sedentary lifestyle, increasing obesity, and worsening dietary trends will add millions of new cases of heart attacks and stroke over the next two decades,” said lead author Yanping Li, research scientist in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard University’s TH Chan School of Public Health.

The study made by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology analyzed data on 26,000 people in China from 1991 to 2011 in order to try to predict trends from 2011 to 2031.

There were five million new cases of heart attacks or strokes in 2011. These incidents were caused by high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high blood pressure, which was linked to 40 percent of cases.

Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 44 percent of all deaths in China of people over 35 in 2011.

“China is facing a rising epidemic of cardiovascular disease and it shows no sign of abating,” said senior author Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard’s Chan School. Hu said Chinese policymakers should promote better eating and exercise habits.

The Chinese diet continues to deteriorate with more people eating red meat, salt, and sugary drinks. At the same time, smoking and a lack of exercise are blamed for causing heart disease.

A 2013 study published by the Lancet medical journal suggested the health profile of China’s citizens has become more similar to developed nations like the USA and the UK. While that comparison means that China saw an increase in life expectancy from 1990 to 2010, the country also saw an increase in non-communicable diseases like heart disease, whose rates have triples over this time period.

Conversely, China’s health profile more resembled Vietnam and Iraq over twenty years ago when it had some of the lowest rates of heart disease and obesity in the world.

This past April, the Lancet said China has the highest number of obese people in the world, accounting for 3.2 million obese men and 46.4 million obese women, signifying the country was facing a health epidemic of obesity-related diseases.

In 2014, nearly 92 million Chinese – almost a tenth of the population – were living with type 2 diabetes.

Meanwhile, Chinese men have one of the highest rates of smoking in the world at 52 percent. Smoking is estimated to be the cause of premature death for a third of all Chinese men under the age of 20 unless they stop smoking.

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Stuck with three roommates who smoke, the student clipped a fan to a window above the entrance of his dorm room. He then fixed a long plastic bag over the window helping the fan to draw air from outside into the bag. He then connected the other end of the plastic bag to a box the student wears over his head, protecting him from the second-hand smoke.

The DIY setup certainly wasn’t expensive. Even the box appears to be re-purposed, originally serving as the box for the fan.

Even if our inventor prefers the confines of his cardboard haven over confronting his roommates, the municipal governments of Beijing and Guangzhou have gone ahead and implemented city-wide indoor smoking bans. Hopefully a proposed nation-wide smoking ban will soon take effect, and this poor soul won’t have to hang-out in his dorm with a box over his head.

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According to a report published in the Lancet, there are an estimated 43.2 million obese men and 46.4 million obese women currently living in China. This accounts for 16.3 percent and 12.4 percent of all obese men and women worldwide. “There will be health consequences of magnitudes that we do not know,” professor Majid Ezzati, lead author of the Lancet study, said.

While alarm bells have been ringing for awhile, the 2015 national report on Chinese nutrition and chronic disease painted a grim picture: 30 percent of all adults in China are overweight, while 12 percent are obese, marking a sharp increase from a decade ago.

The number of overweight children in China has doubled since 2002, while six percent of all children are considered to be obese, up from two percent 10 years ago. Last year, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Food and Drug Industry Development and Inspection Research Center estimated that the number of overweight Chinese youth make up 12 percent of the population.

Overweight and obese conditions are more prevalent in China’s affluent first-tiered cities, and afflicts over half of all adult Beijing residents. If China’s affluent urban residents are struggling with obesity, its rural residents have been struggling with the exact opposite: “China is probably the only country in the world where UNICEF needs to work on over-nutrition and under-nutrition at the same time.”“China is probably the only country in the world where UNICEF needs to work on over-nutrition and under-nutrition at the same time,” said Robert Scherpbier, Chief of Health, UNICEF China.

The Lancet study is the largest obesity study to date, including over 20 million participants. According to the study, this is the first time in history that the number of obese people outnumber underweight people, globally. Another alarming statistic is that one in ten men and one in seven women around the world are obese. These ratios are expected to rise to about one-fifth within a ten-year period.

The Lancet has previously warned China of other health crises. Last October, the medical journal published a study that warned up to a third of all Chinese men under the age of 20 will die prematurely if they do not stop smoking.

The post Move Over America, China Now Leads The World When It Comes To Fat People appeared first on The Nanfang.

The production and sale of slim cigarettes have grown at an annual rate of 40 percent since 2007, resulting in the consumption of 15 billion slim cigarettes last year. By comparison, just 500 million slim cigarettes were sold in 2007.

Slim cigarettes have become so popular that by the end of December 2014, 16 out of 18 China Tobacco provincial-level corporations feature their own slim cigarette brands.

Originally designed for female smokers, the concept of the slim cigarette has been radically redefined. According to Tobacco Asia, slim cigarette users are “fashionable, novel, graceful, pioneering, and individualized” and are gradually gaining universal acceptance by all smokers.

Coupled with this re-conceptualizing is the idea that slim cigarettes are a “healthier” alternative to regular cigarettes.

As Zhang Qingyu explained to Xinhua, “It’s the lesser of two evils.” A middle-aged chain smoker who switched to slim cigarettes three years ago, Zhang said he made the switch for health reasons. “My family support me on the switch because, you know, smoking kills and with such a ‘healthier’ alternative, I may live longer,” he said.

However, China’s anti-smoking lobby say the idea that slim cigarettes are “less harmful” is a “beautiful trap” set by cigarette companies.

Executive vice director of ThinkTank Wu Yiqun said the idea that slim cigarettes are “healthier” is a myth. “There has been no evidence that a smoker is exposed to less chemicals and poisons after switching to slim cigarettes,” said Wu. “Smokers feel slim cigarettes are less ‘fulfilling’ so they use other tobacco products, smoke more of them or simply take more drags.”

Deputy head of the Chinese Association on Tobacco Control Xu Guihua said slim cigarettes are a marketing hoax used by the industry to dupe consumers and extract more profits from the world’s largest tobacco market. “There is no such thing as ‘safe’ cigarettes no matter how slim they are,” said Xu.

Despite these criticisms, head of the China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and China National Tobacco Corporation Ling Chengxing asserted that slim cigarettes are of “lower costs and cause less harm” compared with regular cigarettes when addressing a meeting earlier this year.

At half the size of a regular cigarette, the production of 5 millimeter-diameter slim cigarettes provide numerous boons to the Chinese cigarette industry, the largest in the world. The smaller size lowers production costs, uses less raw material, and reduces tar levels.

If the production of slim cigarettes continues to increase at 50 percent a year, we could see the potential production of 100 billion slim cigarettes within five years.

Meanwhile, e-cigarettes have largely been ignored by Chinese smokers, despite their country’s status as the world’s leading manufacturer of e-cigarettes.

China has implemented smoking bans in cities like Beijing, while others like Shanghai consider their own. Meanwhile, other smoking bans forbid smoking by CCP officials, medical professionals, and actors in TV shows and films. But despite the prevalence of anti-smoking campaigns, most Chinese smokers remain reluctant to give up the habit themselves.

Last month, a medical study warned that a third of all Chinese men under the age of 20 will die prematurely if they do not stop smoking, with smoking-related fatalities to increase to two million annually in the country by 2030.

However, illnesses caused by cigarette use only appear to be on the rise on account of an ill-informed Chinese public. Only 25 percent of Chinese adults have a comprehensive understanding of the health risks of smoking, and less than a third are aware of the dangers of second-hand smoking, according to World Health Organization.

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In a recent interview, the director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Food and Drug Industry Development and Inspection Research Center, Zhang Yongjian, put the number of overweight Chinese youth at 12 percent of the population.

Figures from the past decade suggest an alarming trend that shows no signs of stopping. In 2006, 13 percent of male Beijing students were obese, a figure that jumped to 19 percent in 2010. The female students faired slightly better at 11 percent in 2010.

Another recent study suggests that obesity rates in Shanghai are even higher, and that the city has overtaken the capital to become the nation’s leader in childhood obesity. Of 3,157 students from schools in the city’s Baoshan and Yangpu Districts, 660 (21 percent) were obese, while 477 students (15 percent) were overweight.

Two percent, or 1.7 million of Chinese children aged 12 to 18, suffer from diabetes, which is four times greater than the USA. These children will likely face health risks associated with obesity for the rest of their lives: 45 to 50 percent of obese elementary students, and 60 to 70 percent of obese middle school students will go on to become obese adults.

In a 2011 interview, Dr. Christine Chan, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological Studies at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, warned that, “over the coming 10 years there will be a huge medical burden from these kinds of obesity-related diseases in China, as well as Hong Kong.”

However, entrenched habits are often hard to shake. “Previously, the idea of obesity was associated with developed countries. However, rates of obese and overweight children of families in modern developed (cities) have risen, and is 30 percent higher than developed countries,” said Zhang Yongjian.

As pressure for students to perform well academically has increased, the time allotted for physical activity has decreased. A 2012 study showed only 30 percent of Beijing’s primary and secondary schools required their students to exercise for an hour a day; in 2006, 60 percent of Beijing school masters admitted that the one hour of daily outdoor exercise scheduled for students is not always followed.

The reasons behind the rise of childhood obesity in China may be entrenched in its culture. “You don’t tend to see fat families. You tend to see the fat kid. The little emperor is fat. He’s having McDonald’s, and no one ever says no to him when he wants his Coca-Cola and biscuits. In the next generation we may see fat mums and dads with their kids,” said Paul French, co-author of the book, Fat China.

With the threat of poverty and famine still lingering in the not-too-distant past, China has had trouble achieving a healthy relationship with food. “China is probably the only country in the world where UNICEF needs to work on over-nutrition and under-nutrition at the same time,” said Robert Scherpbier, Chief of Health, UNICEF China.

The post China Quickly Catching Up To America… Even When It Comes To Obesity appeared first on The Nanfang.

Abandoned cars in Guangzhou have become a target for officials stepping up the fight against Dengue Fever. Even though the spread of the virus is starting to subside, authorities are making sure it doesn’t have the chance to bounce back. That means ridding the city of of abandoned cars, which can serve as breeding grounds for the multitude of mosquitoes that spread the deadly virus, has become a priority.

Approximately 580 cars and 700 motorcycles were removed from Xinan Street in Sanshui District, an area where many local residents had dumped vehicles that had little value to them.

The original owners of the cars were notified of plans to remove the vehicles through official channels and news media, of which one-third removed the cars on their own. The rest were taken away in a joint collaboration between the traffic police and chengguan.

Meanwhile, the number of Dengue Fever cases reported daily has dropped below 300 in the past two days, with 217 new cases reported yesterday. In total, 41,155 people were infected with the virus and six people have died.

Photos: Zhujiang Times

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Here, two Weibo users post, “Good morning, Beijing” (below):

This Weibo user wonders, “Beijing, where have you gone?”:

Another user said, “Zero visibility! Living life in hell. With this kind of weather, the entire city should go on vacation.”

This Weibo user included a screenshot of PM 2.5 levels taken throughout Beijing, and said, “Yet another day of being outdoors. Lungs, I apologize to you/”

The People’s Daily described the airpocalypse like this: “This writer drew open the curtains and took a picture this morning, and this is the result. Absolutely no Photoshopping. Fellow Beijingers, take it easy out there, be careful when driving!”

Some Weibo users from other parts of China have taken the smog attack as an opportunity to troll others, like this user who posted a clear blue sky and said, “What upsets other people is to send pictures of food and drink at midnight, send a picture of a dog and a stove during a chilly night, and now it’s to send a picture of a blue sky.”

Or like this Guangzhou user who posted another beautiful sky and said, “These are the blue skies and white clouds appearing over Guangzhou Airport Road at this moment. Please don’t let this give my “comrades” any false hopes. No need to thank me!”

Even if you’re of the opinion that the hazardous air is nothing more than “fog and dust” as insinuated by the term used in the Chinese media, it resulted in the closure of highways and implementation of traffic control. Affected areas included Beijing, Hebei, Tianjin, Henan, Liaoning, Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, and Anhui.

The increased risk to drivers is reflected by this user who said, “Can’t see anything when going to work in the morning. When turning a corner, I directly drove into the path of oncoming traffic, and almost got into a number of accidents…”

Perhaps you need a framing device to put the bad air into context? Try these photos:

These two pictures were apparently taken a day apart:

And even as some Beijingers continue to refuse to wear protective face masks, the proof of Beijing’s terrible smog is as easy to see. So if you’re looking for a new shade of grey to tile your bathroom with, here are more pictures of Beijing’s skyline (or lack thereof):

Related:

• Beijing Says New Wind Corridors May Finally Solve The City’s Notorious Pollution Problem
• Beijing to Ban Coal Use In Urban Districts by 2020
• Northern Smog Forcing Expats South to Cleaner Guangdong
• Guangdong issues orange “fog” alert as smog smothers the province

Photos: Yangcheng Evening Report Golden Lamb Network, CCTV, Southern Capital Report, Weibo

The post Beijing’s Sky is Clear Today, But Look at How Bad It Got Last Week appeared first on The Nanfang.

Smog isn’t new to the Chinese capital, but that doesn’t mean people have gotten used to it. The city has once again been blanked with thick, smokey air that one can almost taste, leading the local government to issue an orange smog alert this morning. The PM 2.5 rating stood at 356 at the time, but has since increased to more than 400, which is hazardous according to the US Embassy.

There’s some bad news for people in the capital, too: this smog isn’t going away soon. It is likely to continue until Saturday, when a cold front is expected to blow the pollution away. Until then, the bad air is also affecting Tianjin, Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, and Hebei.

As seen the pictures below, the air in Beijing right now is terrible. You can’t see the sun. You can’t see the horizon. You can barely see the building down the street.

As bad as it is, Beijing’s frequent polluted air means people have gotten used to it. The photos don’t show that a number of Beijing residents are continuing with their daily tasks – outside – without masks.

Not long ago, the US Embassy in Beijing was able to raise awareness of Beijing’s air quality by broadcasting PM 2.5 measurements on a daily basis. The thinking was if Beijingers were aware of the danger in the air, perhaps it would result in change. That proved to be wishful thinking, though, as Beijingers have all the information they need about air quality but many choose to ignore the warnings.

Here are more photos of Beijing’s air quality:

Related:

• Beijing to Ban Coal Use In Urban Districts by 2020
• Beijing Says New Wind Corridors May Finally Solve The City’s Notorious Pollution Problem
• Northern Smog Forcing Expats South to Cleaner Guangdong
• Guangdong issues orange “fog” alert as smog smothers the province

Photos: People’s Daily Online, Caijing, Weibo (2, 3), CCTV

The post Photos Show Thick, Orange, Oppressive Air Smothering Beijing Today appeared first on The Nanfang.

Anti-mosquito campaign in Foshan.

Dengue fever has become a full-blown epidemic in Guangdong, with the province’s Bureau for Health and Family Planning reporting the number of cases has risen to 23,146. With more people dying from the disease, the government is asking the public to lend a patriotic hand in addressing the epidemic.

With six deaths and thousands of new cases being reported every day, it is hard to believe that Dengue fever is preventable, curable, and controllable. Yang Zhicong, deputy head of the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control, said that although the situation appears dire, the Dengue fever epidemic should be under control by the end of October:

Guangzhou and many other regions have recently adopted measures to prevent the proliferation of Dengue Fever and to destroy mosquitoes and their spawning areas. At present, we are making progress.

The progress Yang refers to includes a government “patriotic hygiene campaign” to combat Dengue fever, declaring that every citizen has a duty to help stop the epidemic by eradicating mosquitoes and their spawning pools.

The following pictures of mass outdoor fumigation show citizens doing their part:

The chemical clouds of smoke have been described as an “anti-mosquito agent” and is being used on a grand scale. While Foshan just launched a city-wide mosquito eradication campaign, Guangzhou has been at it for much longer. Every day, 160 face-mask wearing “eradicating mosquito heroes” in Guangzhou spray 35 kilograms of the mystery agent.

Photos: Foshan Daily, China Daily, Ganguangdu

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There appears to be no shortage of public places babies and children will drop their drawers when nature calls. Yet, as far as we know, even this is a new one.

READ: Kitchen Confidential: Expose Details Beijing Restaurant’s Horrific Hygiene

According to the Anhui Economic Report, a father was photographed holding up his baby to relieve itself into a bucket full of dirty dishes at a waiter’s station in a restaurant in Hefei, Anhui Province.

After the photo was published on Weibo, the father was criticized online for letting his baby do what, apparently, is otherwise acceptable behavior for babies and children on subways, subway stations, airplanes, and most any other public place with a concrete floor, a linoleum tile, or a grassy pitch. Netizens were upset at his lack of manners and for not understanding that those dirty dishes are going to be used again one day, should they ever become clean.

A reporter tracked down a person named Wu who had posted the picture. According to Wu, the incident occurred at 8:40pm on August 30 at a branch of the popular Bifengtang restaurant chain. Wu had posted the photograph because he was upset at the lack of manners displayed by the father.

READ: China’s Shrink-Wrapped Eating Utensils Are Not As Clean As You Think

As it turns out, the mother of the baby contacted Wu on his Weibo account. She apologized on behalf of the father and explained that the baby was in a rush, that it wasn’t intentional, and for everyone to please excuse the incident. This was good enough for Wu, who took down the photograph.

A worker for Bifengtang confirmed that the restaurant in the picture is indeed theirs, and are said to be performing their own investigation into the incident.

Related:

• Watch: No toilet, no problem: Lady poops in Shenzhen metro lift, man keeps a look-out
• Not Again: Guy Pees On Shenzhen Metro Line 5 
• Woman takes a shit on the platform of Shenzhen subway station
• Shenzhen government proposes punishing “uncivilized” behaviour

Photo: Global Times

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