The current practice and future promise of integration of exercise science and medicine in China

With an increasing proportion of sedentary lifestyle related chronic diseases, an efficient way to help fight the growing world epidemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and promote public health in a fast-changing world is urgently needed. Exercise and medicine science have played an important role in prevention and control of NCDs. However, the current status and future development directions regarding the integration of exercise science and medicine (IESM) in China have not been well discussed. During 2017 Belt and Road Initiative Global Health International Congress & 2017 Chinese Preventive Medicine Association-Chinese Society on Global Health Annual Meeting, Xi'an Jiaotong University Global Health Institute, and the Integration of Sport and Medicine Innovation Research Center, China Institute of Sport Science organized the IESM Forum on September 27. Six leaders and experts from China and abroad presented excellent research reports in the IESM Forum from several aspects. Experts reached a consensus at the end of their discussions that, in the near future, the IESM will be a key part of a sustainable health care system and as such should contribute to prosperity in China and around the world. However, compared with European, American and Japanese universities, the development of the IESM in China is in its early stages with huge development potential.