Just about all Chinese reporters are in poor health because of heavy smoking and a sedentary lifestyle, state media said.

"About 97.5 percent of Chinese media workers are in sub-optimal health, meaning that their general physical condition is poor even though they have no specific disease," Xinhua news agency said, citing a survey by the Chinese Medical Doctors' Association.

The survey covered 23,640 health checkups.

"It found that many media workers were showing the effects of their sedentary lifestyle, which included irregular sleep and meal schedules and heavy smoking," Xinhua said.

"Sub-optimal health was defined as poor health with no specific diagnosis and it is marked by physical weakness, low vitality and a poor immune system," it said.