Young white-collar workers are least aware of how to lead a healthy lifestyle, show the results of a survey.

Under-30 office employees "carry a package of diseases or symptoms" that are supposed to be common only among senior citizens, says a recent health report prepared by www.bztj.com, a website sponsored by a Beijing-based physical check-up institute.

Impaired liver function, spinal injury and the threat of cervical cancer top the list affecting young employees' health. In fact, 47.9 percent of the under-30 office workers face one or all of these the problems.

Male employees are worse than their female counterparts.. "Male employees drink and smoke more and their health awareness is lower than women," said Jin Bo, a doctor with Beijing's No 302 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The health condition of an office worker in Shanghai is no better than that of one in Beijing. An increasing number of young people today have fatty liver and high blood pressure and are overweight or obese. Women, on the other hand, are more susceptible to breast cancer.

A Shanghai RenAi Hospital source said 20 percent of the people under 35 were found to have high blood pressure. Their number has doubled in 10 years.

Among the illnesses, young people fall prey more easily to liver diseases. Meng Qinghua, a hepatologist with Beijing YouAn Hospital, attributes this to young people's lifestyle.

"High work pressure, less exercise, irregular food habit and an unbalanced diet are a growing and popular trend among young people," Meng said.

Anita Huang is a 30-year-old woman working for a website in Beijing. She said: "I usually work extra time sitting in front of my computer and grab whatever I can get my hands on to eat."

Working on the computer for long hours at a stretch has injured her cervical vertebrae, causing serious pain in her neck.

Other office-related illnesses include eye fatigue, backache, depressed mood, insomnia and overweight, doctors said.

More than half the people who were surveyed said they suffer from discomfort in the eyes. Carrying eye-drops in a briefcase or keeping them in the office has become a common practice among young people.

Muscle pain because of unknown reason is another problem, experts said, and is caused because of less exercise.

Mental and spiritual problems have become common among introvert people and female workers.

Increasing work pressure and responsibility and little leisure time cause depression among people, said Wang Hongxing, a psychotherapist with a Beijing private hospital.

To prevent young organs from getting old quickly, experts suggest people to exercise regularly, maintain a healthy food habit and have sufficient sleep.

(China Daily May 28, 2007)