Background The prevalence of general and abdominal obesity has increased rapidly in China. The aims of this study were to estimate the dynamic prevalence of overweight, general obesity, and abdominal obesity and the distribution of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) among Chinese adults. Methods Data were obtained from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS). According to the suggestions of the WHO for Chinese populations, overweight was defined as a 23 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 27.5 kg/m2 and general obesity as a BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m2. Abdominal obesity was defined as a WC ≥ 90 cm for males and ≥ 80 cm for females. Grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 obesity were defined as 27.5 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 32.5 kg/m2, 32.5 kg/m2 ≤ BMI < 37.5 kg/m2, and BMI ≥ 37.5 kg/m2, respectively. Generalized estimation equations were used to estimate the prevalence and trends of overweight, general and abdominal obesity. Results This study included 12,543 participant. From 1989 to 2011, the median BMI of males and females increased by 2.65 kg/m2 and 1.90 kg/m2, respectively; and WC increased by 8.50 cm and 7.00 cm, respectively. In 2011, the age-adjusted prevalence of overweight, general obesity, and abdominal obesity were 38.80% (95% CI: 37.95–39.65%), 13.99% (95% CI: 13.38–14.59%), and 43.15% (95% CI: 42.28–44.01%), respectively, and significantly increased across all cycles of the survey among all subgroups (all P < 0.0001). The age-adjusted prevalence of grade 1–3 obesity significantly increased in total sample and sex subgroups (all P < 0.0001). For all indicators, there were significant increases in annual ORs among all subgroups (all P < 0.0001), with the exception of grade 2 obesity. Significant differences were observed in ORs across the three age groups in males. And ORs significantly decreased with age. Conclusions The age-adjusted prevalence of overweight, general obesity, and abdominal obesity significantly increased among Chinese adults from 1989 to 2011. The obesity population is trending toward an increased proportion of males and younger individuals in China.

BackgroundThere have been few studies on the association between the incidence of hypertension and the presence and distribution of body fat. The aim of this article was to evaluate this association.Methods and ResultsData were obtained from the China Health Nutrition Survey, a 22‐year cohort study of 12 907 participants. Body mass index and triceps skinfold thickness were used as markers of body fat, whereas waist circumference (WC) was used as a marker of fat distribution. Cox regression was used to examine the association of body mass index, WC, and skinfold thickness with the incidence of hypertension. The interval between the baseline and hypertension diagnosis was the time variable, and hypertension was the end event. The mean age and proportion of men and women were 38.29 and 38.03 years and 45.63% and 54.37%, respectively. Compared with normal WC, abdominal obesity was associated with hypertension (P<0.001; crude hazard ratio, 2.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.89–2.37). Similarly, overweight (crude hazard ratio, 1.75; 95% confidence interval, 1.64–1.87) and obesity (crude hazard ratio, 3.19; 95% confidence interval, 2.80–3.63) were risk factors for hypertension (all P<0.001). When stratified by sex, the results confirmed that WC and body mass index predicted the development of hypertension in both men and women but not skinfold thickness in women.ConclusionsBody mass index and WC were independent risk factors for hypertension, but skinfold thickness was a poor marker of body fat and could not be used to predict hypertension.

Background: To decrease the burden of breast cancer (BC), the Chinese government recently introduced biennial mammography screening for women aged 45-70 years. In this study, we assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of implementing this programme in urban China using a micro-simulation model. Methods: The 'Simulation Model on radiation Risk and breast cancer Screening' (SiMRiSc) was applied, with parameters updated based on available data for the Chinese population. The base scenario was biennial mammography screening for women aged 45-70 years, and this was compared to a reference population with no screening. Seven alternative scenarios were then simulated by varying the screening intervals and participant ages. This analysis was conducted from a societal perspective. The discounted incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was compared to a threshold of triple the gross domestic product (GDP) per life years gained (LYG), which was 30 785 USD/LYG. Univariate sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate model robustness. In addition, a budget impact analysis was performed by comparing biennial screening with no screening at a time horizon of 10 years. Results: Compared with no screening, the base scenario was cost-effective in urban China, giving a discounted average cost-effectiveness ratio (ACER) of 17 309 USD/LYG. The model was most sensitive to the cost of mammography per screen, followed by mean size of self-detected tumours, mammographic breast density and the cumulative lifetime risk of BC. The efficient frontier showed that at a threshold of 30 785 USD/LYG, the base scenario was the optimal scenario with a discounted ICER of 25 261 USD/LYG. Over 10 years, screening would incur a net cost of almost 38.1 million USD for a city with 1 million citizens. Conclusion:Compared to no screening, biennial mammography screening for women aged from 45-70 is cost-effective in urban China.

In Asian countries, ultrasound has been proposed as a possible alternative for mammography in breast cancer screening because of its superiority in dense breasts, accessibility and low costs. This research aimed to meta-analyze the evidence for the diagnostic performance of ultrasound compared to mammography for breast cancer screening in Asian women. PubMed, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched for studies that concurrently compared mammography and ultrasound in 2000–2019. Data extraction and risk of bias were performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA) statement. The primary outcome was the sensitivity and specificity. Bivariate random models were used to generate pooled estimates of diagnostic parameters and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). In total, 4424 studies were identified of which six studies met the inclusion criteria with a sample size of 124,425 women. The pooled mean prevalence of the included studies was 3.7‰ (range: 1.2–5.7‰). The pooled sensitivity of mammography was significantly higher than that of ultrasound (0.81 [95% CI 0.71–0.88] versus 0.65 [95% CI 0.58–0.72], p = 0.03), but no significant differences were found in specificity (0.98 [95% CI: 0.94–1.00] versus 0.99 [95% CI: 0.97–1.00], p = 0.65). In conclusion, based on the currently available data on sensitivity alone, there is no indication that ultrasound can replace mammography in breast cancer screening in Asian women.

China is a multicultural country that has arisen from its 56 ethnicities, with a diverse population of over 1.3 billion people and an imbalanced economic development. The health care system in China is tending to be overall funded through urban and rural health insurance plans. Although China has invested in the basic research of genome science, public health genomics-related programs and services in China started late. Prenatal screening is offered as part of routine clinical prenatal services and is free of charge in some economically advanced cities. Newborn screening programs are mandated throughout the country but vary between provinces and territories in terms of organization and diseases screened for; most screening tests are paid by out-of-pocket expenses. Genetic tests are encouraged while there are only one accredited state laboratory and few territorial laboratories in China. Further national genomics policies are needed in China in a range of genetic issues and infrastructure of public health genomics. Careful measurement is essential to understanding the nature and scale of the task ahead.

ObjectivesOver the past decade, the incidence and global burden of coronary heart disease (CHD) have increased in the young population. We aimed to identify patient characteristics and risk factors for premature CHD, including single-vessel disease (SVD) and multivessel disease (MVD).DesignRetrospective, cross-sectional study.SettingDemographic and clinical data of patients with CHD were collected from the patient medical records of a tertiary hospital in Tianjin, China, between 2014 and 2017.ParticipantsA total of 2846 patients were enrolled in the study.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPremature CHD, which is the primary outcome, was defined as men<45 years and women<55 years. MVD, which is the secondary outcome, was defined as at least two vessels with ≥50% stenosis. Logistic regression models were applied to analyse the characteristics and risk factors of premature CHD and MVD.ResultsMost of the characteristics between patients with premature and mature CHD were not statistically significant. A significantly higher dyslipidaemia prevalence was found in female patients with premature CHD (OR=1.412, 95% CI: 1.029 to 1.936). In the crude model, instead of premature SVD, premature (OR=2.065, 95% CI: 1.426 to 2.991) or mature (OR=1.837, 95% CI: 1.104 to 3.056) MVD was more common in female patients with the highest triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index quartile than those with the lowest TyG index quartile. In male patients, the same trend was observed for mature MVD (OR=2.272, 95% CI: 1.312 to 3.937). The significance of the TyG index was not revealed in multivariate analyses; however, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking, old myocardial infarction and lipoprotein (a) showed a positive association with MVD.ConclusionsDyslipidaemia should be considered as an effective factor for the prediction and prevention of premature CHD in women. The TyG index can be a simple auxiliary indicator that can be used in population-based cardiovascular disease screening for the early identification of vascular disease severity.

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to pool and compare all-cause and colorectal cancer (CRC) specific mortality reduction of CRC screening in randomized control trials (RCTs) and simulation models, and to determine factors that influence screening effectiveness. (2) Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane library were searched for eligible studies. Multi-use simulation models or RCTs that compared the mortality of CRC screening with no screening in general population were included. CRC-specific and all-cause mortality rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by a bivariate random model. (3) Results: 10 RCTs and 47 model studies were retrieved. The pooled CRC-specific mortality rate ratios in RCTs were 0.88 (0.80, 0.96) and 0.76 (0.68, 0.84) for guaiac-based fecal occult blood tests (gFOBT) and single flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) screening, respectively. For the model studies, the rate ratios were 0.45 (0.39, 0.51) for biennial fecal immunochemical tests (FIT), 0.31 (0.28, 0.34) for biennial gFOBT, 0.61 (0.53, 0.72) for single FS, 0.27 (0.21, 0.35) for 10-yearly colonoscopy, and 0.35 (0.29, 0.42) for 5-yearly FS. The CRC-specific mortality reduction of gFOBT increased with higher adherence in both studies (RCT: 0.78 (0.68, 0.89) vs. 0.92 (0.87, 0.98), model: 0.30 (0.28, 0.33) vs. 0.92 (0.51, 1.63)). Model studies showed a 0.62–1.1% all-cause mortality reduction with single FS screening. (4) Conclusions: Based on RCTs and model studies, biennial FIT/gFOBT, single and 5-yearly FS, and 10-yearly colonoscopy screening significantly reduces CRC-specific mortality. The model estimates are much higher than in RCTs, because the simulated biennial gFOBT assumes higher adherence. The effectiveness of screening increases at younger screening initiation ages and higher adherences.

Background: For a decade, most population-based cancer screenings in China are performed by primary healthcare institutions. To assess the determinants of performance of primary healthcare institutions in population-based breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening in China. Methods: A total of 262 primary healthcare institutions in Tianjin participated in a survey on cancer screening. The survey consisted of questions on screening tests, the number of staff members and training, the introduction of the screening programs to residents, the invitation of residents, and the number of performed screenings per year. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the determinants of performance of an institution to fulfil the target number of screenings. Results: In 58% and 61% of the institutions between three and nine staff members were dedicated to breast and cervical cancer screening, respectively, whereas in 71% of the institutions ≥10 staff members were dedicated to colorectal cancer screening. On average 60% of institutions fulfilled the target number of breast and cervical cancer screenings, whereas 93% fulfilled the target number for colorectal cancer screening. The determinants of performance were rural districts for breast (OR = 5.16 (95%CI: 2.51–10.63)) and cervical (OR = 4.17 (95%CI: 2.14–8.11)) cancer screenings, and ≥3 staff members dedicated to cervical cancer screening (OR = 2.34 (95%CI: 1.09–5.01)). Conclusion: Primary healthcare institutions in China perform better in colorectal than in breast and cervical cancer screening, and institutions in rural districts perform better than institutions in urban districts. Increasing the number of staff members on breast and cervical cancer screening could improve the performance of population-based cancer screening.