Tang Hongmei, a pregnant woman from a small village in southwest China's Sichuan Province, won a top national prize in Beijing on Tuesday, simply because she knows how to live a healthy life.

At a trivia contest, attended by 24 people from eight provinces, Tang correctly answered the most questions.

They ranged from, "Can you name some symptoms that could be related to cancer?" and "Why does getting vaccinated keep you away from infectious diseases?"

Tang won a plasma TV and 5,000 yuan (US$735).

The contest was part of a national project, launched in 1994, to educate 800 million rural Chinese about basic health care.

Disease prevention and control agencies across the country also use flyers, lectures, books and TV programs to make people aware of healthy lifestyles.

Health experts and policy makers believe education, along with more money and hospitals, can play a big role in keeping rural residents healthy.

Although China has successfully lowered the mortality rate of infants and pregnant women, as well as deaths caused by infectious diseases, lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes are increasingly taking a toll on the health of Chinese.

The Ministry of Health published results of the third national survey on causes of death in April, which showed the mortality rate of infants and pregnant women dropped by 34.7 percent when compared with the second survey done in the early 1990s.

However, non infectious diseases such as cancers and cardiovascular diseases had caused 82.5 percent of total deaths, compared with 76.5 percent in the early 1990s.

"It is very significant to help rural residents be better aware of potential risks of unhealthy behaviors, because the rural population is still a majority in China," said An Jia'ao, director of the Health Ministry office which oversees the national project to promote health in rural areas.

He said the contest was a novel way to encourage more people to learn something about healthy lifestyles. Questions were based on 66 health guidelines published in January of this year.

Li Yang, from Hanzuo Village, Helan County of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, came in third place. He received 2,000 yuan (US$294) and a plasma TV.

"These are not the most valuable prize for me," said Li. "I quit smoking after I learned that smoking can cause cancer. This is the most important prize for me."

Tang also said the contest impacted her.

"My child will be healthy only if I am healthy," she said.

According to a five-year action plan announced by the health ministry in 2006, health education would be extended to 80 percent of rural residents in China's eastern region by 2010, and 60 percent in the western region which is less developed.

Meanwhile, 80 percent of rural schools would offer health education courses.

(Xinhua News Agency December 10, 2008)