Youth health expert points to five main problems
9/4/2003 18:03
China's primary and high school students suffer from five main health
problems, which should receive appropriate attention from parents and society, a
professor in Beijing said recently.
Ji Yecheng, head of the Children and
Youth's Health Research Institute affiliated with Beijing University, said the
five trouble spots are malnutrition and obesity, shortsightedness, tooth decay,
anemia and psychological problems.
Malnutrition and obesity coexist, Ji
said. Though malnutrition in children is mainly found in western China, some six
to seven percent of children from six to 18 in Beijing are also poorly nourished
due to unbalanced nutritional intake and too much between-meal
snacking.
Obesity is a more severe problem. Cases of obesity have soared
in recent years in large cities. Some 15 percent of primary and high school
students in Beijing are now obese, double levels a decade ago.
Anemia is
closely related to unhealthy dietary habits and a lack of scientific knowledge
about nutrition.
The level of shortsightedness among Chinese
students--second highest worldwide in 1999--continues to climb in cities and is
rising quickly in villages. Too much schoolwork leading to eye fatigue makes
young Chinese susceptible to the condition.
Tooth decay among Chinese
students is still less prevalent than in many other countries. However, lack of
prompt dental care leads to other problems, such as indigestion and abnormal
facial development.
Psychological problems include excessive shyness,
inclination to violence, anxiety and depression, all of which will rise in the
future, Ji said.
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