现代简约风格儿童房设计，简单大方，男女皆宜~

百度 萝卜家族里，不同的萝卜还有一些独家功效，例如大红萝卜的皮中所含有的红萝卜素就是维生素A原，可以促进血红素的增加，提高血液浓度和血液质量，可以改善贫血；而胡萝卜中的胡萝卜素则能够补肝明目，可以治疗夜盲症。

Senior residents have lunch in a community cafeteria in Fudong neighborhood, Ruichang, east China's Jiangxi province. (People's Daily Online/Wei Dongsheng)

At a recent press conference on people's livelihood, Lei Haichao, head of China's National Health Commission, announced that the average life expectancy of Chinese citizens reached 79 years in 2024, marking a 0.4-year increase from 2023 and achieving the target set by China's 14th Five-Year Plan(2021-2025) ahead of schedule.

Life expectancy is a hypothetical metric indicating the average number of years a newborn is projected to live if current age-specific mortality rates remain constant.

Wu Jian, head of Zhengzhou University's College of Public Health, clarified that life expectancy differs from average lifespan: "Life expectancy is a predictive estimate based on existing healthcare conditions and mortality patterns. It rises as medical advancements reduce mortality rates."

Wu emphasized that life expectancy serves as a critical indicator of population health, reflecting societal progress in healthcare, environmental hygiene, and quality of life.

Senior citizens take a dancing lesson in a senior university in Suqian, east China's Jiangsu province. (People's Daily Online/Xu Jianghai)

Lei highlighted China's global standing: among 53 upper-middle income countries, China ranks fourth in life expectancy; within the G20, it places tenth. Notably, China's life expectancy surpasses that of 21 high-income nations, a result Lei attributed to traditional Chinese health practices and lifestyle choices.

Eight provincial-level regions -- Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Hainan -- have achieved life expectancies exceeding 80 years. "China holds clear potential for further gains in longevity," Lei noted, "as public demand for health improvements grows and sustained efforts remain essential."

Zhang Shuijun, chief physician at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, linked the longevity gains to China's socioeconomic development and healthcare advancements, underscoring the role of national medical insurance policies and the Healthy China initiative. However, he cautioned that rising life expectancy also signals an expanding elderly population. By the end of 2024, China's population aged 60 and above had surpassed 310 million.

To address aging-related challenges, China issued a document on deepening reform and development of elderly care services in December last year. The document outlined a comprehensive framework for establishing an elderly care system tailored to China's conditions, ensuring better protection for the aging population.

An AI-assisted elderly care robot tests blood pressure for a senior resident in a social service center in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province. (People's Daily Online/Long Wei)

Key measures for reforming elderly care services include accelerating the development of a three-tier urban-rural care network: establishing county-level integrated service platforms, township- and street-level regional elderly care centers, and community-based elderly care stations. This aims to create a "15-minute elderly care service accessibility" system.

The reforms also focus on coordinating home-based, community, and institutional care models to provide demand-driven, integrated medical and elderly services. These include meal services, medical support, personal hygiene assistance, and emergency response services.

Additionally, care institutions will be categorized into three types: basic social security, publicly subsidized, and market-driven models, thereby meeting diverse elderly care needs.