Introduction
The Chinese President Jinping Xi emphasized “Two Century Goals” and put forward “the Chinese Dream” in the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Recently, the Chinese Premier Keqiang Li claimed to construct a “Healthy China.” With the development of modern society, more and more changes in traditional production and lifestyles may be observed, and these changes are believed to be the leading cause of increases in human non-communicable disease (NCD). With the major release of health data in China in March 2015, the authors feel that we need to take effective action to address of NCD, which includes obesity-OSA-hypertension syndrome, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer [
1]. For example, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study (2013), NCD remains the leading cause of death in most countries [
2].
Value and prevention
Good health is essential to human welfare and sustained economic and social development. The World Health Report, a leading publication of the World Health Organization (WHO), was first published in 1995. This report combines an expert assessment of global health, including statistics relating to all countries, with a focus on a specific subject. “This report on health research sets out the scientific research agenda needed to translate the growing commitment to universal coverage into evidence-based action,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO, at the launch of The World Health Report 2013: Research for Universal Health Coverage, in Beijing, China, on August 15, 2013.
Since the Adelaide Statement on Health in All Policies was developed by the International Meeting in Adelaide, Australia, on April 15, 2010, the Government of South Australia, together with the WHO, has elicited a significant response from various countries all over the world. We think that it is a very important and wise appeal and a great guideline for infectious disease (ID) and NCD. Chinese leaders consistently emphasize development is the first choice. The authors of the present paper feel that health is a realistic productive force that may enhance the happiness index and forms the basis of all developments. Therefore, health requires not only primary and secondary prevention, but also policy prevention, that is, grade-zero prevention. Only Health in All Policies will help us to realize a dream from reality to the future.
First, health is a realistic productive force. Our modern setup must follow trends in industry, agriculture, and service, which means healthy laborers, as well as their experience and wisdom, are necessary. In developing countries, poverty or a return to poverty resulting from diseases because of a lack of doctors and medicines was a common phenomenon. Today, however, such issues should decrease or not even occur. This is owing to not only new drugs, new diagnosis and therapies developed by modern medical technology, for example, vaccines for tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis B as well as the controlling of measles [
3], malaria, HIV, and new infectious diseases such as SARS and avian flu by H7N9, but also medical reforming and medical insurance in all people. The Chinese Vice-Premier Yandong Liu confirmed that wellbeing cannot be among China’s characteristics if medical insurance was not provided to all of its citizens. To remain healthy is to maintain productive forces. Therefore, people must place more emphasis on the value and significance of rational health policy to promote health and life expectancy now than previous years.
Second, health may enhance the happiness index. In the 21st century, the pursuit of health and longevity has become an important objective in one’s life. Many countries are faced with an aging society and more attention has recently been focused on the happiness index. As a doctor in clinical practice, you will see the faces of patients filled with expectation, envy, and eagerness for a cure to chronic heart failure, chronic kidney disease with diabetes, leukemia, AIDS, and various kinds of cancer at the final stages. This situation is a pity. Many people feel that health is the most important thing in life and that nothing is better than being free of disease. Alcoholism and drug abuse are also important public health issues [
4]. Indeed, no health, no happiness. Thus, health is the key and basis for enhancing the happiness index.
Third, health is the basis of all developments and the source of a person’s and his/her family’s happiness. A famous Chinese proverb says that it is not too late to tighten your bamboo fence when your sheep escapes. Thus, secondary prevention plays a very important role in managing and preventing NCD [
5], such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and a variety of cancers. According to data from the WHO, NCDs have shown an alarming increase in recent years because of obesity and its related sedentary lifestyle. Primary and secondary preventions are still individual, local and regional with a small scale, but policy prevention is national, international with a large scale, and double effects. For example, as a basic state policy, the prohibition or control of smoking in public places has freed millions or even billions of people from suffering CVD, T2DM, and cancer. Policy prevention aims to develop a major viewpoint of health and understand the role of health as a policy priority [
5]. Thus, various diseases may be effectively controlled before people can suffer from them. This approach is the simplest, most scientific, most rational, and most effective strategy for promoting health, especially in the developing countries of the world, for example, legislation for food safety, setting up and improving related mechanisms, of course, including the understanding of the disease mechanisms(e.g., lymphoma and leukemia) [
6,
7], and returning actively problematic goods, etc. In terms of the global food supply, we must reevaluate pesticides for food security and safety [
8]. Policy prevention may greatly lower expenses related to the control and prevention of human disease and thus be of great clinical significance.
Health in All Policies
The following are some ways to realize Health in All Policies. To carry out national-level continuing medical education, start standardized training for residents focusing on the general practitioner, speed up the construction of health information based on electronic health and medical records, carry out mobile medical examinations based on information technology, use “Internet+” to enhance public health and medical services, and accelerate the integration of the health industry with “the Internet+” innovations. To merge western and Chinese medicine, promote the innovations of traditional Chinese medicine, make use of the advantages of traditional medicine, vigorously develop the concepts of traditional Chinese medicine for health care services, and the union of medicine and recuperation for the elderly population, and strive to increase the supply of medical and health resources. To improve rural health conditions, pay special attention to the health of students, women, and children, increase the free drug supply for patients with major illnesses, such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and severe mental disorders, and be fully prepared for meeting the two-child policy, protecting the safety of mother and child, and preventing the development of birth defects. Consider the prevention and control of chronic diseases as the core content of health care reform, combine public health policies and medical reform measures, and commit to achieving “three-part winners,” i.e., a healthy environment, healthy citizens, and national health coverage. These measures will help fully implement the “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” of “Healthy China” and construct “One Belt and One Road (OBOR).”
Overall,
Health in All Policies will emphasize the basis of development and take into account health as an important index of living. Changes in lifestyle may address NCD, especially to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. On the one hand, we should protect the eco-environment, control smoking, minimize or eliminate the effects of water-air-soil-sound (WASS) pollution from industrial and agricultural production on human health [
9], and avoid detrimental events, including sudden cardiovascular events. At the same time, we should strengthen translational clinical practices of a healthy lifestyle for NCD (e.g., T2DM) [
10]. A research confirmed that it needs comprehensive strategies, for example, sleep-emotion-exercise-diet intervention (SEEDi) summarized for NCD, which even includes environment when air pollution is popular, that is E(e)SEEDi for NCD, or E(e)SEED-based healthy lifestyles, which have already been named for Hu’s healthy lifestyle (HHL), that is HHLi for NCD, not just a single risk factor control (e.g., weight loss in overweight or obese adults with T2DM) [
11]. On the other hand, we should implement the RT-ABCDEF strategy to strength health management [
12]. The cooperation between scientists and policy-makers must be strengthened [
13]. Health and longevity are important not just in the Chinese dream, but also in the global context. “China, together with the international community, is willing to spare unremitting efforts to ensure that everyone has access to health services and enjoy the right to be healthy,” said Academician Zhu Chen, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress. “It is important for governments, international organizations, and research institutes to make strong joint efforts to ensure universal access to health care services,” said Ms. Bin Li, the Head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Conclusions
Since health is the basis of all developments and the source of a person’s and his/her family’s happiness, people should pay more attention to
Health in All Policies. Realizing the objectives of
Health in All Policies requires specific actions and initiatives, e.g., health education, legislation, public involvement, innovation [
14], and platform construction [
15], to improve and promote population health. We hope that this call for health in all policies will not go unheeded by policy-makers. Only
Health in All Policies and, as a new preventive strategy, grade-zero prevention, can people’s health be greatly improved to achieve “Healthy China” and “the Chinese Dream” or “the World Dream.”
Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
PDF
(76KB)
