China Expands Health Initiative with Focus on Obesity, Rural Health, and TCM

China's health authorities have outlined plans to address several key health concerns by 2030. These include curbing the rising rates of obesity and overweight individuals, reducing the disparity in health outcomes between urban and rural populations, and expanding the availability of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services throughout the country.

These goals are part of the broader Healthy China initiative, which was launched in 2019 by the State Council, China's Cabinet. The initiative originally included 15 campaigns aimed at improving the overall health of the population.

On Monday, the national patriotic health campaign committee announced the addition of three new campaigns to the initiative. These new campaigns will focus on weight management, improving health in rural areas, and providing TCM services. This brings the total number of campaigns under the initiative to 18.

The recent expansion of the initiative reflects the growing concerns about obesity rates, the health gap between urban and rural areas, and the desire to promote and recognize the value of TCM.

The patriotic health campaign, which began in the early 1950s, has a long history of promoting disease prevention, environmental hygiene, and overall health improvements.

Significant progress has been made in recent years. The health literacy level of Chinese residents increased from 19.17 percent in 2019 to 31.87 percent in 2024. Furthermore, the rate of harmless treatment of urban household waste reached 99 percent, and the coverage rate of sanitary toilets reached approximately 75 percent in 2024. The premature mortality rate from major chronic diseases also decreased, falling from 16.5 percent in 2019 to 15 percent in 2023.