Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health problem in Asia. It has been reported that the Chinese are more susceptible to CRC than many other ethnic groups. Screening for CRC is a cost-effective prevention and control strategy; however, the screening rates among the Chinese are sub-optimal. We conducted a review to identify the factors associated with CRC screening participation among Chinese people. Twenty-two studies that examined the factors related to CRC screening behaviors among the Chinese were identified through five databases. Seven factors were consistently reported to influence CRC screening behaviors in at least one of the studies: socio-demographic characteristics (educational level, health insurance, and knowledge about CRC and its screening); psychological factors (perceived severity of CRC, susceptibility of having CRC, and barriers to screening); and contact with medical provider (physician recommendation). The evidence base for many of these relationships is quite limited. Furthermore, the associations of many factors, including age, gender, income, cancer worry/fear, and self-efficacy with CRC screening behaviors, were mixed or inconsistent across these studies, thereby indicating that more studies are needed in this area.

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Objective: The objective of this study was to assess knowledge of metabolic syndrome (MS) among Chinese adults and provide directions for designing healthcare promotion schemes for improving MS awareness in the community. Design: The study adopted a cross-sectional design and a convenience sampling method. Method: Chinese adults aged 18–65 years and living in the community completed a self-administered questionnaire, providing socio-demographic information and indicating their knowledge of MS using a validated knowledge of MS (K-MS) scale comprising 10 multiple-choice questions. The scores of K-MS can range from 0 to 100. Results: A total of 297 participants were recruited (mean age = 51.3 ± 8.9 years), 66.7% of whom were women. More than half of all participants ( n = 154) were identified as having MS and numerous participants were obese ( n = 158). The mean K-MS score was 44.9 out of 100; most participants (61%) scored below 50, indicating a poor level of MS knowledge. Participants who were older, had a lower level of education or were unemployed scored the lowest. Conclusion: Acquiring knowledge of MS is crucial for preventing the development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, Chinese adults in a community setting exhibited poor understanding of MS. Public health efforts regarding primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases should be targeted at improving MS knowledge. Additional measures are needed to assist people in the low socioeconomic classes.

A low-intensity lifestyle intervention program for people with MS can reduce central obesity among people with or at high risk for MS. Further research is necessary to confirm the long-term physiological effects of the intervention.

Background With the natural cessation of estrogen, after menopause, women, especially those who are overweight, are at a high risk for cardiovascular disease. Diet control and adequate physical activity (PA) are recommended as the essence of promoting cardiovascular health for women after menopause. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a theory-based educational program on health behaviors and cardiovascular health outcomes among overweight postmenopausal Chinese women compared with conventional didactic education. Methods In this randomized controlled trial, 288 participants were randomly allocated to intervention (n = 144) or control (n = 144) groups. The control group received conventional didactic education. The intervention group received a 3-month theory-based educational program. Primary outcomes were PA and dietary behavior. Secondary outcomes included cardiovascular health knowledge, self-efficacy in PA and diet, and cardiovascular health outcomes. Data were collected at baseline (T0), 3 months (T1), 6 months (T2), and 12 months (T3). Results The intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in PA, dietary behavior, self-efficacy in PA and diet, and several cardiovascular health outcomes (body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, and Framingham risk score [body mass index]) at postintervention compared with the control group (all Ps < .05). These significant effects maintained at T2, and the effects on self-efficacy in PA and diet also were maintained at T3. Conclusions A theory-based educational program may be an effective strategy for improving PA, dietary behavior, self-efficacy in PA and diet, and several cardiovascular health outcomes for overweight postmenopausal Chinese women. However, further strategies are needed to enhance the sustainability of the positive changes.

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Aim To investigate the determinants of exercise capacity in postcardiac rehabilitation patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Design A cross‐sectional design was used. Methods This study analysed the cross‐sectional data from the baseline assessment of 130 CHD patients who participated in a longitudinal randomized controlled trial of music‐paced physical activity intervention for CHD patients (ChiCTR‐IOR‐17011015) (September 2017 to February 2019). Exercise capacity was measured by using the 10‐metre incremental shuttle‐walk test. The amount of physical activity, exercise self‐determination and exercise self‐efficacy were measured by validated instruments. Participants' anthropometric parameters (body mass index, body fat mass percentage and waist circumference) were measured. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to identify the factors influencing exercise capacity. Results The mean incremental shuttle‐walk test distance was 493.00 ± 180.04 m. The factors significantly associated with exercise capacity were age (β = −.42), female (β = −.35), body mass index (β = −.25) and exercise self‐efficacy (β = −.20). These factors accounted for 56.5% of the total variance of exercise capacity.