Community groups promote healthy habits

Shanghai resident Liu Yufang, who was a smoker for 51 years and believed he was unable to quit, finally gave up the habit two years ago at the age of 69.

Liu attributed his success to a community health management group, which was established as part of a program initiated by the city government to help promote health literacy and manage public health through mutual assistance.

"The group shares knowledge on health when we meet each week. Gradually, I developed the motivation to stop smoking," Liu said on Wednesday when participants of the ongoing Ninth Global Conference on Health Promotion in Shanghai paid a visit to the group that has an activity room in the community activity center of Yanji subdistrict in the city's Yangpu district.