Longing for attention

Similar raids have been taking places across the country since July, when the State Council issued a plan for tightening supervision of the health supplement industry and cracking down on fraud.

The Beijing Municipal Industry and Commerce Administration investigated nearly 1,000 cases involving false and exaggerated advertising of health supplements in the final quarter of last year, confiscating illegal products and handing out fines totaling 3.8 million yuan.

Despite stricter supervision, an official at the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said the problem cannot be fixed by the authorities alone.

"It's a social problem that has existed for years," the official said. "The lack of care for the elderly from their sons and daughters is the other side of the coin."

About 118 million people older than 60 will be living on their own in China by 2020, according to the State Council's 13th Five-Year Plan on Development of China's Undertakings for the Aged, issued last year.

Without a companion at home, many elderly go to health clubs to make friends and seek a sense of belonging.

In an inspection of small health clubs in November conducted by deputies to the Shanghai People's Congress, the city's top legislature, many elderly customers said they went there to chat with other senior citizens and felt well treated by the employees.

"The life of the elderly is usually monotonous at home, and they long for attention and care," said deputy Zhu Ru'an. "Some elderly people know that the employees are looking to make money, but they're still willing to pay."

Liu Bo, a consumer behavior researcher affiliated with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences who has conducted 20 focus groups with elderly people on their consumption of health products, found that elderly people who seldom communicate with their children are prone to develop an obsession with buying health products.

But "it is impossible for children to look after their parents all the time", Chen said. "Young or old, everyone has his own life, his own track."

In recent months, Chen has devoted his time to listening to dozens of fraud cases, helping to gather evidence and reporting it to local authorities. But he said he has seen more threats than substantial progress.

"Sometimes, I feel downhearted. I have tried so hard, but nothing gets changed," he said. "But I won't give it up. If I keep trying, there's still hope to win the battle."

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