China Releases Plan to Tackle Juvenile Obesity

China Releases Plan to Tackle Juvenile Obesity

Six central agencies including the National Health Commission， the Ministry of Education， and the State Administration for Market Regulation recently issued a plan to prevent and control overweight and obesity among young children and teens.

Due to factors like diet and lifestyle changes， increasing homework loads， decline of physical activity， and long hours spent on electronic devices， the obesity rate among Chinese adolescents and young children has been shooting up over the past years.

Based on the incidences of overweight and obesity among minors in different regions， the plan identified 12 regions with a high prevalence rate of obesity， 11 regions with a median rate， and eight with a low rate across China. It set a goal of lowering the annual growth of obesity rate in the three types of regions by 80， 70， and 60 percent respectively from the benchmark rate during the coming 10 years.

To reach the goal， the plan stresses that parents， schools， healthcare institutions， and governments should take on their due responsibilities. For instance， schools should conduct sufficient physical education and health courses as required by the state， and ensure that primary and middle school students have no less than an hour of medium-intensity sports activities every day， and at least three hours of high-intensity activities every week.

Chinas Rocket Academy Develops Manned Flying Board

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology， the countrys leading rocket maker， has developed a jet-powered flying board that can reach an altitude of one kilometer with a human on top.

The academy released photos of the board-shaped flying machine on its WeChat account， saying it is the first of its kind in China， and can be used for aerial work， firefighting， disaster relief， and search and rescue. It can also function as an unmanned goods delivery platform during emergencies.

The aerial vehicle is capable of carrying a weight of 80 kilograms and has a range of 20 kilometers. Designed to fly below 100 meters， it can reach a maximum altitude of up to 1，000 meters， the academy said.

Photos show that the flying machine is powered by five mini turbojet engines which are installed in the middle of the board. Fuel for the engines comes from a backpack of the operator standing upright on the board， using a controller and the center of gravity of the body to control flight.

The operator can refuel midway as well， according to the academy.

Over 35 Million Hectares of Forests Planted in Past Five Years

The National Forestry and Grassland Administration said that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period （2016-20）， the greening campaign made new headway across China – more than 35 million hectares of forests and 11.6 billion trees were planted by the public on a voluntary basis.

Starting in 2016， the administration has been leveraging the Internet to encourage public participation. The past five years also saw the active participation of people from poverty-stricken areas in afforesting the nation， as a total of 1.6 million low-income people secured a source of income by working to preserve the ecology.

The ninth national survey on forestry resources （2014-18） showed that China has 220 million hectares of forests， and its forest coverage rate stands at 22.96 percent.