In 2024, The BMJ launched two impactful Collections to help advance health priorities in China. These Collections focused on two pressing health issues: women’s health and chronic disease management. Both were launched at high profile academic and policy events, receiving significant attention from healthcare professionals, researchers, and the public. This study showcases the impactful efforts behind these initiatives and the transformative outcomes they have achieved.
Promoting Women’s Health in China
Women in China are now healthier than ever, but as the economy grows and China’s culture becomes more westernised, the country faces new challenges due to changing social norms and expectations. In this BMJ collection, a collaboration with Peking University, experts from China analyse the current state of women’s health; review achievements and remaining challenges in the contexts of women’s empowerment and rights, labour force participation, and family and community dynamics; and make recommendations for promoting women’s future health, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health. The articles set out successes and challenges for the country in an era of growing rights and falling fertility.
The BMJ Collection on Promoting women’s health in China was developed in collaboration with Peking University and has successfully stimulated national discussions on women’s health policies through a multifaceted approach that integrated key platforms and outreach strategies:
- Launched at the 10th annual meeting of the China Medical Women’s Association, attended by 1200 experts and 100k+ users online: The launch of the collection was marked by a significant conference held in Beijing, attended by policymakers, public health leaders, and researchers. This event provided a platform for indepth discussions on women’s health issues, emphasising evidence-based policy recommendations derived from the collection.
- Media coverage: National and international media outlets extensively covered the collection and its findings, highlighting key themes such as maternal health, reproductive rights, and access to healthcare. It achieved a front-page spread in a national newspaper, with contributions from lead authors Professor Jie Qiao and Jin-Ling Tang. This media presence amplified the reach of the discussions, ensuring that they resonated beyond academic and professional circles.
- Social media outreach: A targeted campaign engaged health professionals and the public, generating 56k WeChat views of the Collection articles. Using platforms such as WeChat and Weibo, BMJ Group shared insights, infographics, and key messages from the collection. This strategy facilitated widespread conversations and enabled the collection to reach diverse audiences, including younger demographics.
Through this strategic combination, the collection fostered a high level of engagement, elevating women’s health on the national agenda and influencing public discourse in China.
Jocalyn Clark, International Editor and Head of Scholarly Comment at The BMJ delivered the opening remarks and a lecture on global women’s health, setting the stage for discussing China-specific challenges. In the roundtable discussion, facilitated by BMJ Group, authors of the Collection engaged in a roundtable discussion to address key findings from the nine articles, covering topics from reproductive rights to healthcare access for women.
The BMJ Collection on Unmet needs for chronic diseases in China
In China, the burden of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancers, respiratory diseases, and diabetes, has greatly increased in recent decades, driven mostly by population ageing and poor control of risk factors such as tobacco use, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption, unhealthy diets, and air pollution.
Non-communicable diseases account for 91% of deaths in China and present an increasing burden on national healthcare expenditure. China urgently needs innovative and decisive strategies to tackle these chronic diseases.
In a BMJ Collection, Unmet needs for chronic diseases in China, experts from China illuminate the current state and challenges of non-communicable chronic disease prevention and control and discuss future strategies for tackling the problem.
This Collection was developed in partnership with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Beijing Hospital and launched at a national conference for the prevention and control of NCDs. The Collection was introduced to an audience of over 1500 participants, including healthcare professionals, policymakers, and researchers. The BMJ editor-in-chief, Kamran Abbasi, delivered opening remarks, and experts like Jin-Ling Tang introduced the seven articles that explored necessary strategies for chronic disease management.
The launch generated 41,000 WeChat views and was featured in People’s Daily Online, one of China’s most widely read news outlets, and helped raise awareness of chronic disease management on a national scale.
- Over 2,700 participants across both events
- Over 97,000 views across both Collections
- Featured in major Chinese media outlets, including a front-page spread and coverage in People’s Daily Online
- Engaged thousands of health professionals and policymakers, with both events sparking crucial discussions on women’s health and chronic disease prevention in China
These two recent BMJ Collections have significantly impacted advancing health priorities in China, driving policy discussions and public engagement on critical health issues. Collaborations with leading institutions and the effective use of digital platforms have ensured that the findings and recommendations reach a wide audience, creating a lasting influence on China’s healthcare landscape.
CONTACT JOCALYN CLARK TO CURATE A SIMILAR COLLECTION OR FACILIATE AN IMPORTANT EVENT.
