NHFPC's press conference on May 9,2014

(en.nhfpc.gov.cn)

Updated: 2014-07-15

d. Women and children’s health Education on this topic should become a daily job in medical and health organizations at all levels, in a bid to improve knowledge and skills in healthcare, child bearing and reproductive health.

e. Traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine should be a priority in promoting health literacy nationwide. Each and every village, community or household should have a chance to learn and benefit from basic traditional Chinese medicine knowledge.

These tasks require a gear-up for nationwide health promotion and education, a team of experts, and a digital information and communication platform with tight regulation and close supervision. Meanwhile, hotline services (at 12320 and 12356) will be further improved.

II. Why is it so difficult to improve overall health literacy in China?

Health literacy is a comprehensive measurement reflecting a region’s economic and social development. Many people in China are still leading an unhealthy lifestyle, not fully aware of medical limitations, and have misunderstandings about medicine and medical treatment. That’s why we pin a lot of hopes on the Plan to improve that.

The country’s health literacy level grew 2.32 percent from 2008 to 2012, a mere 0.58 percent on average per year. It seems pretty slow. But there are reasons.

First, health literacy as a comprehensive measurement depends on the overall improvement of health knowledge and abilities. It’s a slow process per se, and thus requires patience. Second, health literacy level varies among different age groups. In China, we target citizens 15 to 69 years old. That’s a huge age span. Third, it is subject to multiple factors, such as economy, culture, policies, public services and education, especially healthcare education, which are quite different from city to city. Also, each person faces different conditions, including their educational level, gender, age, financial status, and reading comprehension ability.

Much as we want to, health literacy cannot be improved overnight. It is a tough job and demands our long-term and unremitting efforts. International and domestic experiences told us that there are three ground rules crucial to improving health literacy in China. First, we need to have health awareness in making political decisions. Second, each and every citizen has to realize that their health is actually in their own hands. Third, health promotion is important, so is education.

We have made a lot of progress in this field, but far from enough. There are still many challenges ahead.

III. What will the NHFPC do to control smoking? Tobacco control is one of the initiatives in the Plan. The NHFPC, as required by the State Council, has been doing research and mulling laws and regulations in this respect. The Regulation on Tobacco Control in Public Places has been on the legislative agenda. With the draft coming out, it is now up for review by the State Council and provincial governments.