Cancer prevention in China

Comprehensive workplace intervention for cancer prevention in China (WECAN)

Background

According to the World Health Organization, unhealthy lifestyles relating to poor diets, physical inactivity and/or smoking are leading risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer and other non-communicable diseases. The workplace is an important setting to promote health. Workplace-based disease prevention strategies have great potential to not only prevent CVD and other NCDs, but also greatly reduce the risks and burden of cancer. 

Objective

This project will develop a scalable workplace cancer prevention and health promotion model in China; and it will implement and evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of this model, as well as scale up in workplaces of various regions in China.

Intervention

The project will conduct online and offline health promotion interventions in 15 workplaces across three Chinese cities - Xiangtan of Hunan province, Nanchang of Sichuan province, and Wuhai of Inner Mongolian autonomous region. The interventions cover the four areas: 

(1) health-related policies 

(2) environmental support 

(3) health-related activities 

(4) health benefits. 

The changes in modifiable behaviour risk factors of cancer will be evaluated.

Read more

  1. New research targets workplaces to beat cancer (TGI News) 

    https://www.georgeinstitute.org/media-releases/new-research-targets-workplaces-to-beat-cancer;

  2. WECAN launched in Beijing (in Chinese, reported by china.org.cn) 

    http://guoqing.china.com.cn/2023-03/20/content_85179218.htm；

  3. Collection of health promotion activities in WECAN pilot workplaces (in Chinese, WECAN WeChat account) 

    https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/y6ZPcIu32fIC4ZS96fGegg

  4. Major grant from GACD/MRC to prevent cancer in workplace setting（in Chinese, TGI WeChat account）

    http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/3hW5qQgf8knWvPmva-cfaA;

Further reading