Abstract
ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to examine the change in health status of China's adult population between the years of 2003 and 2008 due to rapid economic growth and medical system improvement.MethodsData from the third and fourth Chinese national health services surveys covering 141,927 residents in 2003 and 136,371 residents in 2008 who were aged >18 years were analyzed.ResultsChinese respondents in 2008 were more likely to report disease than in 2003. Smoking slightly decreased among men and women, and regular exercise showed much improvement. Stratified analyses revealed significant subpopulation disparities in rate ratios for 2008/2003 in the presence of chronic disease, with greater increases among women, elderly, the Han nationality, unmarried and widow, illiterate, rural, and regions east of China than other groups.ConclusionsChinese adults in 2008 had worse health status than in 2003 in terms of presence of chronic disease. China's reform of health care will face more complex challenges in coming years from the deteriorating health status in Chinese adults.
Highlights
In recent years, the healthcare system in China has significantly improved [1,2,3,4]
More sports facilities were built with free access in the community, there was increased parkland, and news media participated in this campaign [5]
This study aimed to describe the male and female adult Chinese population health status in multiple dimensions, including overall morbidity, presence of illness in the last 2 weeks and chronic disease in the last 6 months, and healthy behavior as regards smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity, using data from the most recent National Health Services Surveys by the Chinese government in 2003 and 2008
Summary
The healthcare system in China has significantly improved [1,2,3,4]. Chinese government and civil organizations launched extensive fitness programs for the general public to raise the level of physical activity and health. China suffered greatly in the 2003 when the worldwide prevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) took a sharp rise. There is evidence that Chinese people have improved their general and personal hygiene and diet, undertaken more intensive physical exercise, and increased the overall frequency of hand washing [6]. Over the 5 years, following 2003, Chinese healthcare systems have made significant reforms, and reflected on the vulnerability of public health [7,8]
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