Shanghai Tackles Obesity With Community-Based Initiatives

Over 70 percent of Shanghai's 246 neighborhood health centers have launched weight management clinics, bringing the total to 450. The citywide initiative will expand this year.

Local adults are 40 percent overweight or obese, and over half of seniors have weight issues. The rate among children and minors is over 34 percent and rising.

"We are encouraging community-based health centers to provide weight management services, offering residents convenient, high-quality and professional guidance on scientific weight loss," said Shanghai Health Commission vice director Lu Taohong. The city is promoting life-cycle weight management, supportive environmental improvements and intelligent intervention.

To promote healthy lifestyles and sustainable weight control, Shanghai has implemented nutrition guidance, beverage labeling and public health education programs.

Li Lin, 55, revealed how Dapuqiao Neighborhood Health Center's weight management services helped her lose weight and improve her health starting last October.

"I had tried various weight-loss methods with little success, so I sought professional advice from doctors at the health center. My BMI dropped from 32 to 24, my physique improved, and the pain in my legs and neck disappeared," she said.

"The center is close to my home, and it's my first time using such a community facility – it's convenient, affordable and of high quality. Rehabilitation therapists provided me with personalized exercise plans and dietary advice for scientific weight management."

Dr Zhang Ningjie, a general practitioner at Dapuqiao Neighborhood Health Center, noted that the center's weight management clinic brings together GPs, nutritionists and rehabilitation therapists to conduct individual assessments and develop customized solutions for each patient.

"We encourage patients to adjust their lifestyles and engage in appropriate physical activity. For those who require pharmaceutical support, we prescribe suitable weight-loss medications and provide close monitoring," Zhang explained.

"With a variety of medications available, we guide patients to select the most appropriate options based on their individual conditions. Expatriates are also welcome to come to the neighborhood health centers for weight management training."

Jean-Christophe Pointeau, president of Pfizer China, described obesity as a major public health challenge. He noted that patients seek rapid yet sustainable weight management, yet significant unmet medical needs remain in this field.

Pfizer continues to drive innovation in obesity treatment, he added, following China's recent approval of a Pfizer weight-management medication based on GLP-1. The drug is developed using a mechanism that was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.