The China Programme: Policy Supply Characteristics for the Sustainable Promotion of Adolescent Physical Health

Adolescent Physical Health is crucial for personal growth, family well-being, and the future of the nation, serving as an engine for healthier, sustainable social transformation. In recent years, the continuing decline in Adolescent Physical Health has become a global problem, with adolescents in various countries and regions facing different physical issues and challenges. The aim of this study is to explore the content structure, supply characteristics, and potential problems of current policies using a sample of Chinese Adolescent Physical Health policy documents in order to provide policy optimization recommendations for the promotion of Adolescent Physical Health, both in China and worldwide. Taking 33 Adolescent Physical Health policies enacted at the national level in China from 1979 to 2023 as a research sample, an analytical framework based on the three dimensions of policy tools, facilitating elements, and policy strength was constructed. Using the content analysis method, the policy texts were individually coded in order to analyze the content structure and supply characteristics of China’s Adolescent Physical Health policy, allowing research conclusions to be drawn and policy recommendations to be put forward. Through quantitative statistical analyses, we found that Chinese Adolescent Physical Health policies tend to use supply- and environment-side policy tools, while demand-side policy tools are less frequently used, leading to problems such as an over-reliance on supply-side policy tools and under-use of demand-side policy tools. Physical education teaching is dominant in the facilitating elements dimension, with an overall discrete distribution of characteristics. The types of policies are mainly notices, with a lack of strong normative documents such as laws, regulations, and statutes; therefore, the overall policy strength is weak. Accordingly, it is recommended that the top-level design of policy for Adolescent Physical Health promotion be continuously optimized in three key areas: enhancing the internal structure of policy instruments, improving the distribution of facilitating elements and policy tools, and strengthening the implementation of policies.