China Experiencing Increases In Rates Of ‘First-World Health Problems’

While “China has managed to beat back the plagues of poverty, such as diarrhea, pneumonia, measles and malaria,” the nation’s “economic boom” has caused rates of “so-called First World health problems,” such as stroke and heart disease, to become more common among the Chinese, according to a study published this week in The Lancet, NPR’s “Shots” blog reports. “Life expectancy in China jumped significantly over just one generation,” but “[t]he downside of this success is that the Chinese public health system must now adapt to fight a whole new set of health problems,” according to the study, the blog notes (Beaubien, 6/6). The June 8 issue of The Lancet features several papers “provid[ing] a picture of the complex health issues facing China,” according to a Lancet editorial (6/8).

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