4 | Tuesday, July 30, 2019 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY CHINA Disability rate among elderly sparks efforts Nation to target early signs of trouble, especially illnesses tied to dementia By WANG XIAOYU he said. “Gradually, critical condi­ [email protected] tions including strokes and respi­ ratory failure might surface and Even though China increased its result in disabilities.” average life span to 77 years last Chen said it is therefore signifi­ year, the country’s seniors often cant to precisely detect early signs of live the last eight years of their lives disability and allow elderly patients in poor health, the National Health to receive effective diagnosis and Commission said on Monday. treatment as soon as possible. The average healthy life expectan­ According to Wang, the depart­ cy in China — an indicator used by ment of aging and health, which the World Health Organization to was established in September dur­ measure years of good health a new­ ing a government reshuffle, has born can expect — stands at 68.7 been improving grassroots medical years, meaning severe diseases drag services targeting the older popula­ down the quality of life for the elder­ tion by conducting more physical ly for nearly a decade, said Wang examinations for the elderly and Children learn to play ice hockey at a rink in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Monday. DING GENHOU / FOR CHINA DAILY Haidong, director of the commis­ formulating new guidelines intend­ sion’s aging and health department. ed to smooth out services at elderly­ “There are more than 180 million oriented hospitals. seniors with chronic conditions As China’s population ages, the and 40 million living with disabili­ number of people living with age­ Ministry looks to boost physical activities at schools ties,” he said, adding that China is related dementia is also climbing. home to about 250 million people “It is estimated that more than 9 By WANG XIAOYU physical education tutors and sports moderate to vigorous physical activ­ percent during the same period.” aged 60 or older, accounting for 18 million elderly people have demen­ [email protected] facilities at schools. ity each day. Since students spend the majority percent of the population. tia in China. The number is projec­ “For instance, there are about In China, about 11 percent of stu­ of their waking hours at schools, The country aims to reduce the ted to reach 40 million by 2050,” China plans to increase exercise 12,000 soccer fields of different sizes dents meet this standard, even Chen suggested physical education disability rate for those aged 65 to 74 said Li Zhixin, a senior official with opportunities at schools to help chil­ across schools in China. That means though 90 percent are reported to classes devote more time to offering and curtail the rising rates of the Chinese Center for Disease Con­ dren and teenagers become more on average, each school with more take physical education classes dai­ moderate to vigorous activities. dementia among those 65 or over in trol and Prevention. “In order to physically active, a senior official than 300 pupils has the equivalent ly, according to Chen Peijie, presi­ Low levels of physical activity the next decade, according to a curb the rates, it is crucial to per­ with the Ministry of Education said of about half a soccer field,” he said. dent of Shanghai University of have also contributed to the epi­ health promotion plan issued by form long­term monitoring and on Friday. “The strain is also noticed in the Sport. demic of myopia among Chinese the State Council earlier this month. carry out early interventions among Students at primary, middle and number of soccer coaches.” “The problem is that exercises on students, an issue that has been Chen Zheng, head of the Beijing the group, which demonstrates a high schools will learn basic sports An equally important task is to most campuses tend to be extremely highlighted by the central leader­ Geriatric Hospital, said occurren­ higher risk of developing dementia. knowledge and receive athletic shift attitudes on physical education light and ineffective,” he said. “Thus, ship as a critical disease in recent ces of disabilities are closely tied to “Research shows that hearing skills training. More competitive classes, which are often overlooked, it’s crucial to launch more competi­ years. chronic illnesses, especially car­ loss, obesity, tobacco use, depression sports activities will also be held to or even skipped, against mounting tive sports events to motivate stu­ More than half the young chil­ diovascular diseases and malig­ and lack of exercise or social interac­ improve their mental and physical academic pressure. dents to get more intense workouts dren and teenagers in China are nant tumors. tion are among factors that are well­being, said Wang Dengfeng, “Unnecessary academic loads every day.” nearsighted, according to a survey “Multiple chronic diseases will closely linked to dementia. If we can director of the ministry’s physical should be cut down to make time for Insufficient exercise is tied to jointly released by the Ministry of first lead to severe complications effectively prevent and control these education, health and art depart­ outdoor activities,” Wang said. higher risks of obesity and being Education, Ministry of Finance and such as sleep disorder, chronic factors, the incidence rate of demen­ ment. “Evaluation systems aimed at meas­ overweight, a looming threat to the the National Health Commission pain and urinary incontinence,” tia is likely to drop by 40 percent.” He added that students should uring improvements in fitness pro­ health of young Chinese. this year. exercise for at least an hour a day at grams at schools will be set up to “Research shows that the rate of According to a health promotion school, and get an additional hour of oversee implementation of workout being overweight for children aged guideline issued by the State Coun­ It’s cool up here physical activity off campus. programs on campus.” 6 to 18 jumped from 1.1 percent in cil earlier this month, the rate of In order to achieve these goals, The World Health Organization 1985 to 20.4 percent in 2014,” Chen nearsightedness will be decreased Wang said, more effort will be made recommends young children and said. “The obesity rate also by 0.5 percentage points each year to address the severe shortage of teenagers get at least 60 minutes of increased from 0.5 percent to 7.6 as of 2022. Network helps monitor population of big cats By TIAN XUEFEI the protection of the tiger and leopard and ZHOU HUIYING in Harbin requires the establishment of a net­ work of protected sites, the construc­ After nearly 20 years of efforts, Chi­ tion of international and domestic na has built a monitoring network for corridors and the formation of a per­ endangered Siberian tigers and Amur meable landscape. It needs attention leopards, covering more than 12,000 and support from all over the world. Visitors enjoy a natural foggy vista at Mount Huangshan, a square kilometers in the provinces of “Military fences, transportation renowned scenic spot in Anhui province, on Sunday. With its Jilin and Heilongjiang, an expert said facilities and farmland in the habi­ cooler temperatures, many people choose to visit the mountain on Sunday. tats have a strong impact on tigers’ to escape the scorching sun as heat clouds much of China’s cen­ With cutting­edge technologies free migration in different areas in tral and eastern areas. PAN CHENG / FOR CHINA DAILY such as artificial intelligence and big China and cross­border areas data, more than 4,000 infrared cam­ between China and Russia. Living in era video clips of tigers and more than small and isolated areas may cause 600 clips of leopards were recorded more inbreeding, which can be a by a team led by Jiang Guangshun, factor in their decline in immunity,” deputy director of the Feline Research Jiang added. Posts smearing China Center of the Natural Forestry and “Therefore, the construction of an Grassland Administration. ecological corridor, including the Siberian tigers rest at Hengdaohezi, a major breeding center for big “By comparing the data of tigers improvement of habitat quality, is cats in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang province, in April. WANG JIANWEI / XINHUA lead to man’s detention and leopards of China and Russia essential.” from 2013 to 2015, we have con­ Jiang said the project can ensure By WANG KEJU which distorted history, insulted firmed that 17 tigers and 42 leopards the security of the environment of conservation value,” said Zhang transboundary conservation reached [email protected] China and its people, and incited are shared populations of both Chi­ the cross­border areas and may Jianlong, head of the National For­ by all the representatives was pub­ antagonism between nations. na and Russia,” Jiang said at the become a model for the transnation­ estry and Grassland Administration. lished at the forum, pointing out that A man was criminally detained Lu has also been cooperating International Forum on Tiger and al cooperation for the protection of “The protection of tigers and leop­ sustained joint efforts are still neces­ upon his return to China recently with similar communities at home Leopard Transboundary Conserva­ endangered species. ards in the world has achieved sary to achieve the recovery of tiger for allegedly spreading online and abroad to spread anti­Chinese tion which kicked off on Sunday in Focusing on big cats around the remarkable results through the joint and leopard populations in trans­ comics on domestic and foreign rhetoric to young students in China Harbin, Heilongjiang province. world, especially tiger and leopard efforts of all parties, but we still face boundary areas.