CRI听力:Beijing Students Witness a Decline in Physical Health

Survey results by the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference concluded that among the 1.3 million primary and secondary school students in Beijing, 21.46% of them suffered from obesity. The lack of physical exercise amongst young students has also been linked to several chronic diseases including fatty livers and hypertension.

I then spoke to professional physical trainer Dee Rawlings to gain a better understanding of this issue. She discussed some exercises that would be appropriate for young students in China.

"I think it would be team sports, because it is fun and a good way for kids to work together. Although I do agree with sports such as running I don't think they are as stimulating for children. Especially if you are playing something like netball or basketball you are always stopping and starting which is a lot like a high intensity sort of training. With high intensity training you only need to do about 20 or 30 minutes and it is just as effective as exercising for an hour."

She suggested how allowing young children to play sports together after school would have dramatic effects on their physical fitness.

The Gaokao exam is also considered to be one of the most prominent causes of lack in physical health in China. There is an exceptional amount of pressure put on students to perform well on the national college entrance exam that leaves little time for young students to focus on sports and other extra curricular activities.

I popped down to the Jingyuan middle school in the western part of Beijing to see how much exercise their students do on a weekly basis.

"Because of the smog, we have not done outdoor sports during Physical education classes recently. I personally find indoor sports more tiring."

"I usually run for about 20 minutes a day, and very occasionally play badminton."

When considering the health of young citizens, it is crucial to consider their diet. Chinese food often contains large quantities of MSG and oil that offer convenience and taste at the price of high cholesterol and increased blood pressure. Adjustments to the diet of the average Chinese citizen therefore, may be as crucial as changes made to their exercise regime.

I asked the Jingyuan Middle School Students about their daily diet.

"The food in the school cafeteria is great; we get to eat lots of meat. The food in the cafeteria is relatively healthy but I do have a sweet tooth for snacks."

"We usually eat rice and fried Chinese food everyday, I am not sure how healthy it is but it is delicious."

"We eat a wide variety of foods at school; for the most part the food all seems pretty healthy."

China has worked very diligently as a nation to achieve strong academic results. It would now seem after some reform the country will once again need to strive together to achieve high physical standards. Effort made in this field will allow for Chinese citizens to live both healthy and happy lives.

For Studio Plus, I'm Sam Duckett