The promotion of sport activities has increasingly improved the
national physique and health level. People are living longer than
before. The old saying "it is rare for a person to live to the age
of seventy" has become obsolete since to reach that age is now
commonplace. Between 1990 and 2002 the average life expectancy of
China's population increased by 3.25 years, reaching 71.8 years,
approaching the level of moderately developed countries.
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In order to monitor the national physique, the government
implemented major investigations on the physique of students in
1979 and of adults in 1993, obtaining a wealth of detailed
information from this research. The latest survey of the national
physique, which ended in October 2001, extended over three years
and 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly
under the Central Government, making it China's largest ever in
terms of scale and population numbers. The survey showed a great
increase in the growth of children and teenagers in China's rural
areas, every index showing an average rate of increase surpassing
that of same age group children in the cities. But the survey also
revealed some grounds for concern. Chinese people's physical
faculties drop sharply after they turn 40. In cities obesity poses
a big threat to the health of children and teenagers, and
overweight is also very common among adults. The health of women in
rural areas is far from satisfactory. Based on the survey findings,
relevant departments of the government continuously study methods
of keeping fit, set new ways and standards for different age groups
and strengthen instruction at community level. The next survey of
the national physique will be completed in 2005.