White-collar workers increasingly unhealthy

An increasing number of white-collar workers in Shanghai are getting failing grades on their physical examinations, according to a white paper on the health of white-collar workers in Shanghai.

Carried out by Shanghai Foreign Service Group, a human resources company, the report indicated that more than 53 percent of males are overweight, 46 percent suffer from a fatty liver and about 26 percent have elevated blood lipids. However, females are more often diagnosed as having breast lesions that could lead to cancer (85 percent), thyroid disorder (34 percent) and hemorrhoids (23 percent).

Though the report also found that white-collar workers were paying increasing attention to their health - with about 84 percent saying they followed their condition closely or very closely - those with healthy lifestyles dropped to 64 percent last year from 77 percent in 2015.

The report was generated from about 500,000 physical exams taken by white-collar workers in Shanghai over the past five years.

"I always eat and drink too much and never exercise," said Wei Ruoxi, a 26-year-old working in finance who is struggling with being overweight.

"I know what a healthy lifestyle looks like, but the job just brings too much pressure and squeezes out exercise time," she added.

Hu Xiaolong, 30, an accountant in Shanghai, said he was determined to live healthily from now on.

"My recent physical examination shows a little shadow in the lung, which shocked me when I heard it. I really need to quit bad habits like smoking and staying up late."

The white paper also showed that more people are turning to commercial health insurance to cope with financial risks caused by health problems. The prevalence of insurance purchases among the participants reached 15.3 percent last year, a rise of 4 percentage points in just one year.

Most participants also expected their companies to help them with effective health management, such as offering membership cards for gyms, flexible working schedules and regular physical examinations.

Cao Chen in Shanghai contributed to this story.