Hangzhou passes first local law promoting health

A newly adopted public health regulation, approved in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province and set to take effect on Jan 1, is aimed at strengthening policy support for community-level healthcare services while promoting healthier lifestyles, as the city seeks to anchor health promotion in law.

Approved on Dec 18, the Hangzhou regulation on public health promotion is the country's first local law dedicated specifically to health promotion. Consisting of 10 chapters and 54 articles, it establishes a framework covering health services, healthy environments, lifestyle guidance and health impact assessments, with weight management identified as a key policy priority.

The regulation comes amid a nationwide push to promote healthy weight management through action plans and policy initiatives. While national measures provide overall guidance, Hangzhou is the first city to translate those goals into binding local legislation by explicitly incorporating weight management into its statutory framework.

For frontline medical workers, the regulation offers definitive guidance and stronger institutional backing.

"The regulation gives us a much clearer policy handle," said Zhang Taoye, a medical worker at the Caihe Community Healthcare Center in Hangzhou. "It supports the preventive work we have been trying to carry out at the community level."

Zhang said community health institutions are expected to expand services such as nutritional counseling and scientific exercise guidance, with incentive mechanisms, including health points programs, also under consideration.

"Our goal is the same as the residents' — fewer illnesses and better health," she said. "The regulation gives everyone more tools to manage health together."

Medical workers at the Sijiqing Community Healthcare Center said Hangzhou is moving ahead with plans to establish weight-management clinics or obesity treatment centers at all secondary-level and above medical institutions.

"Excess weight is closely linked to chronic conditions such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia," one healthcare worker said."Dedicated weight-management clinics help move prevention forward and make healthy lifestyles more accessible."

The regulation has also resonated with residents.

A 40-year-old homemaker surnamed Li, said the emphasis on salt- and oil-control tools and healthier food options aligns with her daily habits, particularly for her children and elderly family members.

She also welcomed measures promoting public access to sports facilities, adding that legislation would make such access more convenient.

For older residents, nutritional oversight is a particular concern. Shen Mei, a 68-year-old retiree, said she and her husband often eat at their neighborhood community canteen.

"The food is generally good, but sometimes it can be a bit oily or salty," she said.

The regulation requires regular monitoring of residents' nutritional status, with particular attention to minors and older people.

"With this law, community canteens should pay more attention to balanced nutrition and low-salt, low-fat cooking," Shen said. "For seniors like us, that's very welcome."

Qi Xiao in Hangzhou contributed to this story.