What's so 'in' with the "three reductions and three healthy conditions" program?

The 16th National Healthy Lifestyle Day was celebrated on Sept 1. The event began with the China Healthy Lifestyle for All (CHLA), a movement that has covered more than 96 percent of counties and regions nationwide and is included in national documents such as the Plan of Healthy China 2030 and the Healthy China initiative (2019-30). 

The movement was launched on Sept 1, 2007, the first National Healthy Lifestyle Day. In 2018, the national action office for CHLA prolonged National Healthy Lifestyle Day to National Healthy Lifestyle month. Since then, knowledge about healthy lifestyles are publicized every September. 

 

Under the guidance of the Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control of the National Health Commission, the national action office took "Healthy Diet and Exercise, Towards the New Stage" as the theme of the fifth China Healthy Lifestyle Conference, where the idea of three reductions in salt, oil and sugar intake and three conditions regarding oral health, as well as healthy weight and bones was first put forward. 

 

In 2017, the former National Health and Family Planning Commission, together with the General Administration of Sport, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and the All-China Women's Federation, jointly released the plan of China Healthy Lifestyle for All (2017-2025) and listed three reductions and three healthy conditions, proper exercise, control of tobacco and alcohol consumption and mental health as special actions, hoping to lift Chinese residents’ health literacy to 25 percent by 2025 and to promote healthy lifestyles across the country 

 

According to the report on nutrition and chronic diseases of Chinese residents (2020), unhealthy lifestyles are widely found among Chinese residents. The dietary fat energy supply ratio continues to rise, and the figure in rural areas has now broken the recommended limit of 30 percent for the first time. 

 

Daily consumption levels of salt and oil per family member are much higher than those recommended. The problems caused by children and teenagers drinking sugared beverages are increasingly prominent. Overweight and obesity as well as incidence of chronic diseases are increasing. The prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the incidence of cancers are all up compared to those in 2015. 

 

Results of the fourth national oral health epidemiological survey showed that residents’ oral health literacy was 60.1 percent, and 84.9 percent of people kept a positive attitude toward oral health. 

 

Nevertheless, healthy oral hygiene habits, such as brushing teeth twice a day, still need to be improved. The prevalence of caries among Chinese children is also on the rise. Osteoporosis has become a key health problem for people over 50 years old in China, especially for middle-aged and elderly women. 

 

The idea of "three reductions and three healthy conditions" is CHLA's important contribution to the construction of Healthy China, which has become a key driver for chronic disease prevention and control and the promotion of healthy lifestyles in China. 

 

 

The theme of the National Healthy Lifestyle Month of 2022 is "three reductions and three healthy conditions will make health your companion". 

The "three reductions" require people to consume fewer than 5 grams of salt a day, control consumption of cooking oil and choose food and beverage with less sugar. The "three healthy conditions" ask people to brush their teeth correctly in the morning and evening, measure their weight and waistline, calculate the body-weight index and keep their bones and joints healthy.