• Tian-Jiao Chen, Bin Dong, Yanhui Dong, Jing Li, Yinghua Ma, Dongshan Liu, Yuhui Zhang, Yi Xing, Yi Zheng, Xiaomin Luo, Fangbiao Tao, Yanqing Ding, Peijin Hu, Zhiyong Zou, Bailin Pan, Ping Tang, Dongmei Luo, Yunfei Liu, Luo Li, Geffrey Nan Li, Xiaobo Tian, Xiaona Huang, Yi Song, Jun Ma, and Susan M Sawyer.
• Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China; National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
• Lancet. 2024 May 4; 403 (10438): 180818201808-1820.

AbstractChina is home to the second largest population of children and adolescents in the world. Yet demographic shifts mean that the government must manage the challenge of fewer children with the needs of an ageing population, while considering the delicate tension between economic growth and environmental sustainability. We mapped the health problems and risks of contemporary school-aged children and adolescents in China against current national health policies. We involved multidisciplinary experts, including young people, with the aim of identifying actionable strategies and specific recommendations to promote child and adolescent health and wellbeing. Notwithstanding major improvements in their health over the past few decades, contemporary Chinese children and adolescents face distinct social challenges, including high academic pressures and youth unemployment, and new health concerns including obesity, mental health issues, and sexually transmitted infections. Inequality by gender, geography, and ethnicity remains a feature of health risks and outcomes. We identified a mismatch between current health determinants, risks and outcomes, and government policies. To promote the health of children and adolescents in China, we recommend a set of strategies that target government-led initiatives across the health, education, and community sectors, which aim to build supportive and responsive families, safe communities, and engaging and respectful learning environments. TRANSLATION: For the Chinese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

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