The 20 Most Important and Most Preventable Health Problems of China: A Delphi Consultation of Chinese Experts

To identify the 20 most important and most preventable health problems that should be addressed in the next 20 years in China. In 2015, we applied a modified electronic Delphi technique to reach consensus from a panel of top Chinese health experts (n = 70), who were requested to identify 20 health problems that, in their judgment, were most important and preventable. We also compared the results with evidences from epidemiological studies on disease-specific mortalities and disability-adjusted life years. Consensus was reached after the second-round survey. The final agreed-upon 20 most important and most preventable health problems included 9 noncommunicable diseases, 4 communicable diseases, 2 unhealthy behaviors, and 2 forms of environmental pollution, plus depression, road injury, and contamination of food with pesticides, antibiotics, and hormone residues. The results are supported by relevant epidemiological studies in China. The 20 most important and most preventable health problems in China for the next 20 years, agreed upon by a panel of top Chinese health experts, should be taken into consideration in national policymaking.