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Health of the young

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-04 07:57

Improved living standards do not necessarily mean better health unless the lifestyle is healthy. The declining general health of children nationwide, as revealed by a national survey, reconfirms this.

The survey was conducted in 2005 and its finding announced on Sunday by a national organization engaged in monitoring children's health. It shows that obesity and poor eyesight are two major ailments youngsters suffer from.

In addition, all body indexes concerning their general physique are declining compared with the survey result in 2000. For example, the lung capacity of young people aged from eight to 18 dropped by 303 to 259 milliliters, and so did the average velocity for 50 meters, 100 meters and 1,000 meters for youngsters of this age group.

In Beijing, one out five students is suffering from either obesity or overweight. The rate is even higher than in some developed countries, where obesity is considered a serious problem. Shanghai is only next to Beijing with a higher rate of obesity among children.

It goes without saying that the living standards in the two cities are higher than the national average. This indicates that the increased amount of meat, edible oil and other "good food" are undoubtedly the culprits behind the increased number of obese and overweight children.

Apart from the more high-protein food children eat on a daily basis, the lack of exercise has contributed tremendously to their being overweight and their declining physical capacity. The time children spend in front of TV and computers takes up almost all their spare time, which their parents would have spent playing various kinds of games in the open when they were children.

It is unrealistic to expect children today to give up the fun they get from TV and computers, and what these electronic gadgets offer is not necessarily all bad. What essentially matters is moderation - parents must understand that even good food such as all kinds of meat may be harmful if taken too much; and children must spend enough time doing physical exercise.

Over-nutrition rather than a lack of nutrition should be the major concern for most parents today when they decide the menu for their children. Parents and teachers would do well to help children change the tendency for inertness in favor of exercises.

A younger generation in sound health, both physically and mentally, is always regarded crucial for a bright future of any country. For the future of China, the society must do a lot more to make young people live a healthy life.

(China Daily 06/04/2008 page8)