Objective To analyze main issues in the prevention and control of non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) in China and to provide a references for NCDs prevention and control.

Methods We retrieved Chinese literatures on status and main problems of NCDs prevention and control in China published from January 1998 to December 2016 through China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Chinese Periodical Database, and the VIP Chinese Periodical Database. Descriptive and inductive analysis were adopted in the study.

Results We included a total of 291 literatures. We classified the 512 issues of 33 themes discussed in the literatures into following 5 domains: macro environment, population need, structure, process, and outcome and then subdivided the structure domain into resource-, organization-, and administration-structure. Of all the issues discussed in the literatures, 245 (47.85%) involved structure domain and of all the structure domain related issues discussed, 149 (60.82%) referred to resource-structure. The most frequently discussed issues in the literatures were cognitive behavior (69 times), followed by manpower (63) and financial support (47).

Conclusion There are many issues in the prevention and control of non-communicable chronic diseases in China and in published Chinese literatures, the most frequently discussed issues refer to unreasonable resource-structure.