China CDC in Action — Hypertension Prevention and Control

Hypertension contributes to a quarter of all-cause mortality in China. The Chinese government has put forward aims to control and prevent hypertension, and China CDC and other professional public health institutions have carried out a series of related efforts including the promotion of related policies and legislation, the improvement of modifiable risk factors of hypertension in the population, and promoting the National Primary Public Health Services to discover and manage patients with hypertension. China CDC has conducted multiple hypertension-related campaigns such as advocating for salt reduction, weight loss, and increased physical activity. Additionally, on behalf of the Chinese government, China CDC has organized and carried out the construction of national demonstration areas for the comprehensive prevention and control of chronic diseases. As of 2020, 488 national demonstration areas have been established, covering 17.1% of all counties and districts. In these areas, the lifestyle and health literacy of the population and community-based hypertension management measures have been improved. The Healthy China 2030 calls for a transition from disease treatment to a focus on health, which requires a strategy of hypertension prevention and control that focuses on the whole population rather than on high-risk populations. The Primary Health Care, Medicine and Health Promotion Law was officially implemented on June 1, 2020 and provides the legal basis for this strategy change in the prevention and control of hypertension. Ongoing public health legislation should involve non-communicable diseases such as hypertension in addition to communicable diseases.