Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China; National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
National Center for Occupational Safety and Health, Beijing, China.
Lancet. 2024 May 4;403(10438):1808-1820. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02894-5. Epub 2024 Apr 18.
China is home to the second largest population of children and adolescents in the world. Yet demographic shifts mean that the government must manage the challenge of fewer children with the needs of an ageing population, while considering the delicate tension between economic growth and environmental sustainability. We mapped the health problems and risks of contemporary school-aged children and adolescents in China against current national health policies. We involved multidisciplinary experts, including young people, with the aim of identifying actionable strategies and specific recommendations to promote child and adolescent health and wellbeing. Notwithstanding major improvements in their health over the past few decades, contemporary Chinese children and adolescents face distinct social challenges, including high academic pressures and youth unemployment, and new health concerns including obesity, mental health issues, and sexually transmitted infections. Inequality by gender, geography, and ethnicity remains a feature of health risks and outcomes. We identified a mismatch between current health determinants, risks and outcomes, and government policies. To promote the health of children and adolescents in China, we recommend a set of strategies that target government-led initiatives across the health, education, and community sectors, which aim to build supportive and responsive families, safe communities, and engaging and respectful learning environments. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.
中国是世界上第二大儿童和青少年人口大国。然而，人口结构的变化意味着政府必须应对人口老龄化带来的挑战，同时考虑到经济增长和环境可持续性之间的微妙紧张关系。我们针对当前的国家卫生政策，绘制了中国当代学龄儿童和青少年的健康问题和风险图。我们邀请了包括年轻人在内的多学科专家参与，旨在确定可行的战略和具体建议，以促进儿童和青少年的健康和福祉。尽管在过去几十年中，他们的健康状况有了显著改善，但当代中国儿童和青少年仍面临着独特的社会挑战，包括高学业压力和青年失业，以及新的健康问题，如肥胖、心理健康问题和性传播感染。性别、地理位置和种族的不平等仍然是健康风险和结果的一个特征。我们发现，当前的健康决定因素、风险和结果与政府政策之间存在不匹配。为了促进中国儿童和青少年的健康，我们建议采取一系列策略，针对卫生、教育和社区部门的政府主导举措，旨在建立支持性和响应性的家庭、安全的社区以及有吸引力和尊重的学习环境。
