The promotion of sport activities has increasingly improved the
national physique and level of health. People are living longer
than ever and the old adage "it is rare for a person to live to the
age of seventy" is now obsolete, since reaching that age is now
commonplace. The present average life expectancy of China's
population is 71.95 years, approaching the level of moderately
developed countries.
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In order to monitor the national physique, the government has
carried out large-scale studies on the physique of students since
1979, and of adults since 1993, obtaining a wealth of detailed
information. The latest survey of the national physique, which
ended in 2001, took three years and covered 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 improvement in the
growth of children and teenagers in China's rural areas, every
index showing an average rate of increase surpassing that of their
peer groups in cities. But the survey also revealed some grounds
for concern. Chinese people's physical faculties show a clear drop
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, government departments
continuously study methods of keeping fit, set new ways and
standards for different age groups and strengthen coaching at
community level. The second survey of the national physique was
completed in 2005 and the report will be released in 2006.