Nearly 85 percent of reporters in Beijing feel tired, according to a survey quoted Monday in the Mirror.

Out of the 1,182 reporters surveyed by the China Medical Doctor Association, only 28 were completely healthy, 2.37 percent of the total.

Among the various diseases of the surveyed reporters, gastric diseases have become their "occupational diseases," the paper said.

According to the survey, 72.1 percent surveyed said their jobs pose heavy pressure to them, 62 percent cannot sleep well, 50 percent have bad eye-sight and 50 percent have body aches.

Meanwhile, a survey concerning the State of Health of Intellectuals released by the Shanghai Municipal Academy of Social Sciences in 2004 indicated that the average life expectancy of intellectuals in Beijing dropped to about the age of 54 from 59 a decade ago. The average life span for Beijing residents is 76 years.

(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2005)