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Experts laud Shanghai Hongkou district’s efforts to promote civic well-being
Zsofia Szilagyi, PhD, an advisor for the World Health Organization (WHO), was amazed when she saw a group of senior citizens dancing with a pair of homemade weights in Shanghai's Hongkou district.
The "weights" were in fact just common plastic water bottles filled with rice. They were invented by the Chunsheng residents' committee of Jiangwan community and handed out to local seniors for free to encourage them to exercise.
"I've never seen this before, and I never would have thought of designing something like this, but it's amazing! It shows me how something very cheap probably can reach all communities," said Szilagyi.
Szilagyi recently joined a group of delegates to visit Hongkou district during the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion. November 23 was designated as China Day, the occasion arranged not only forums on China's health promotion but also on-site trips to all 15 districts of Shanghai.
Elderly self-management
With 20 members aged between 54 and 84, Chunsheng's self-management group welcomed the foreign delegation with a lively dance performance before sharing with them how the group has helped improve health literacy in its community.
The group was founded in 2009 with help from Jiangwan community workers. It teaches its members basic health knowledge, such as how to reduce salt and sugar in one's daily diet, and also goes out and about the neighborhood to lobby local stores and restaurants on pro-well-being campaigns, such as the new ban on smoking indoors.
Jiangwan community center also offers a wide range of healthy activities, such as tai chi, ping-pong, Chinese calligraphy and even a chorus. There are 26,000 such self-management groups currently operating in Shanghai, with a total participation of some 420,000 citizens.
In Chunsheng, the healthy milestones of its members have been enormous, with the exercising rate improving from 50 percent to 80 percent; 30 percent more said they now enjoy more sound sleep, and 20 percent more said they are now "content with life."
Hongqi Primary School
While Szilagyi was impressed by the creation of the district's health service, Moduo Njai, a delegate from Gambia, was more excited about his experience at Hongqi Primary School, where he joined local students in a traditional dragon dance.
Hongqi Primary School, whose history dates back 400 years, presently boasts 1,600 students, who over the years have taken many efforts to improve both their physical and mental health.
The proportion of Hongqi's students with poor eyesight has thus dropped from 42.69 percent in 2013 to 39.85 percent in 2015, thanks to amelioration of lighting conditions and consistent daily practice of traditional Chinese eye exercises.
Meanwhile, the school encourages its students to participate in sports and makes sure that every child gets at least one hour of outdoor exercise per day. In terms of stress counseling, the school has integrated into its curriculum one-on-one counseling for students suffering from emotional confusion.
Workplace involvement
North Shanghai Gas Business Co.,LTD. was also one of the stops in Hongkou district during China Day. The company offers its 1,600 employees annual health examinations and promotes a healthy lifestyle with a variety of on-site fitness facilities.
Its canteen offers five major meat and vegetable dishes as well as fruits for snacking; diners are informed of the nutritional content of each meal via information boards. There is a gym where employees can play ping-pong or participate in fitness activities. Along a river near the company site, there is a paved walking route and outdoor exercise areas.
The company encourages its staff to "compete" by recording their steps online; winners are awarded each month with prizes. As a result, the obesity rate of its employees has been reduced from 30 percent to 28 percent over the past few years.
"What we have seen in Hongkou is really impressive. We are doing similar things (in Gambia) so we can engage our elderly and our youth to promote health," said Njai, who hopes to witness more cooperation between Gambia and China in the future.
According to Zhang Weisheng, director of the Shanghai Hongkou District Health and Family Planning Commission, the district spends 60 million yuan ($8.68 million) every year on public services for health promotion and dispenses another 400 million yuan specifically for healthcare.
The "weights" were in fact just common plastic water bottles filled with rice. They were invented by the Chunsheng residents' committee of Jiangwan community and handed out to local seniors for free to encourage them to exercise.
"I've never seen this before, and I never would have thought of designing something like this, but it's amazing! It shows me how something very cheap probably can reach all communities," said Szilagyi.
Szilagyi recently joined a group of delegates to visit Hongkou district during the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion. November 23 was designated as China Day, the occasion arranged not only forums on China's health promotion but also on-site trips to all 15 districts of Shanghai.
A group of senior citizens dance with homemade weights. Photos: Sun Shuangjie/GT
Elderly self-management
With 20 members aged between 54 and 84, Chunsheng's self-management group welcomed the foreign delegation with a lively dance performance before sharing with them how the group has helped improve health literacy in its community.
The group was founded in 2009 with help from Jiangwan community workers. It teaches its members basic health knowledge, such as how to reduce salt and sugar in one's daily diet, and also goes out and about the neighborhood to lobby local stores and restaurants on pro-well-being campaigns, such as the new ban on smoking indoors.
Jiangwan community center also offers a wide range of healthy activities, such as tai chi, ping-pong, Chinese calligraphy and even a chorus. There are 26,000 such self-management groups currently operating in Shanghai, with a total participation of some 420,000 citizens.
In Chunsheng, the healthy milestones of its members have been enormous, with the exercising rate improving from 50 percent to 80 percent; 30 percent more said they now enjoy more sound sleep, and 20 percent more said they are now "content with life."
Hongqi Primary School
While Szilagyi was impressed by the creation of the district's health service, Moduo Njai, a delegate from Gambia, was more excited about his experience at Hongqi Primary School, where he joined local students in a traditional dragon dance.
Hongqi Primary School, whose history dates back 400 years, presently boasts 1,600 students, who over the years have taken many efforts to improve both their physical and mental health.
The proportion of Hongqi's students with poor eyesight has thus dropped from 42.69 percent in 2013 to 39.85 percent in 2015, thanks to amelioration of lighting conditions and consistent daily practice of traditional Chinese eye exercises.
Meanwhile, the school encourages its students to participate in sports and makes sure that every child gets at least one hour of outdoor exercise per day. In terms of stress counseling, the school has integrated into its curriculum one-on-one counseling for students suffering from emotional confusion.
Delegates of the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion visit Hongqi Primary School in Hongkou district.
Workplace involvement
North Shanghai Gas Business Co.,LTD. was also one of the stops in Hongkou district during China Day. The company offers its 1,600 employees annual health examinations and promotes a healthy lifestyle with a variety of on-site fitness facilities.
Its canteen offers five major meat and vegetable dishes as well as fruits for snacking; diners are informed of the nutritional content of each meal via information boards. There is a gym where employees can play ping-pong or participate in fitness activities. Along a river near the company site, there is a paved walking route and outdoor exercise areas.
The company encourages its staff to "compete" by recording their steps online; winners are awarded each month with prizes. As a result, the obesity rate of its employees has been reduced from 30 percent to 28 percent over the past few years.
"What we have seen in Hongkou is really impressive. We are doing similar things (in Gambia) so we can engage our elderly and our youth to promote health," said Njai, who hopes to witness more cooperation between Gambia and China in the future.
According to Zhang Weisheng, director of the Shanghai Hongkou District Health and Family Planning Commission, the district spends 60 million yuan ($8.68 million) every year on public services for health promotion and dispenses another 400 million yuan specifically for healthcare.
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