Comparative analysis of the growth and development differences of children and adolescents between developed and undeveloped urban and rural areas in China

Abstract

Objectives Our study use the height and weight data of Chinese students aged 7–18 years from 1985 to 2014 to investigate the inequality and changing trend of height and weight of children and adolescents in different regions. Methods Our study extracted data from the 1985, 2000, and 2014 Chinese National Survey on Students' Constitution and Health (CNSSCH) for a comparative analysis of the height and weight of children and adolescents aged 7–18 years in a developed city (Shanghai) and an underdeveloped province (Guizhou). The coefficients of variation (CVs) of height and weight between urban and rural boys and girls were also calculated. Results Since 1985, the height difference between urban and rural areas has decreased from 4.24 to 2.41 cm for boys and 3.72 to 1.99 cm for girls. The weight difference for boys and girls increased from 1.83 to 3.10 kg and from 0.97 to 1.80 kg, respectively. However, from 1985 to 2014, the height and weight differences between Shanghai and Guizhou increased. In addition, from 1985 to 2014, the coefficient of height variation was greater for rural students than urban students while the coefficient of weight variation was greater for urban students than rural students. Conclusions Although the difference between urban and rural areas has recently decreased, the difference between developed area (Shanghai) and underdeveloped area (Guizhou) has increased. In particular, the difference in height and weight between children in developed areas (Shanghai) and non‐developed areas (Guizhou) has become larger since 1985–2014, rather than gradually decreasing over time.

Secular trends and urban–rural disparities in height of Chinese adolescents aged 18 years from 1985 to 2019

“…Previous studies showed that the overall CV of height increased for Chinese adolescents aged 18 years in both sexes from 1985 to 2014 (Ling & Xu, 2023;Xu & Hang, 2017), which was consistent with the findings of this study. This may be related to the increase in health inequalities (Cai et al, 2017;.…”

“…Our analyses also revealed that the overall height increase in rural adolescents aged 18 years was larger than that of their urban counterparts, and urban–rural disparities have narrowed, consistent with previous studies (Ling & Xu, 2023; Song et al, 2021; Xu & Hang, 2017). Recently, the NCD‐RisC pooled data on the height of 71 million children and adolescents worldwide and found that urban children and adolescents were taller than their rural counterparts in 1990 in all countries except a few high‐income countries.…”

“…Although ~80% of an individual's height is determined by genes (Cox et al, 2019; Yengo et al, 2018), there are other reasons for height differences between most countries, such as income, social status, infection, nutrition (Fudvoye & Parent, 2017; NCD‐RisC, 2020; Schwekendiek & Baten, 2019) and social network effects (Bents et al, 2018; Bogin et al, 2022). The improvement of living conditions and other aspects of social and economic development are among the most important factors in achieving secular growth (Jordan et al, 2012; Ling & Xu, 2023). The Chinese economy has grown rapidly in the past 34 years.…”

“…Health inequalities within urban and rural areas change over time (Cai et al, 2017; Jiang et al, 2022), and these changes may affect the trends in height inequalities. Some studies (Ling & Xu, 2023; Xu & Hang, 2017) found that the coefficients of variation (CV) of the height of urban and rural adolescents aged 18 years in China from 1985 to 2014 were very similar and increased over time, suggesting an increase in inequality within urban and rural areas. In conclusion, the secular trend in Chinese adult height over the past few years is unclear, and how the differences between urban and rural areas and within them change over time needs to be further studied.…”

Secular trends in the anthropometric characteristics of children in a rural community in Yucatan, Mexico

“…Physical growth is a measure of population health and an effective indicator of socio‐environmental conditions. Often, children and youths residing in rural settings in low‐ and middle‐income countries are shorter and lighter‐weight than children from urban settlements and exhibit higher rates of chronic and acute undernutrition (Blanco et al, 1992; Castillo et al, 2016; Cordeiro et al, 2021; Ling & Xu, 2023; Veile et al, 2022; Zou et al, 2016) owing to several factors, including food insecurity, infectious diseases, limited access to health services, and poor household infrastructure. In recent decades, the economic and sociocultural changes experienced by rural populations in Latin America, Asia, and Africa have caused changes in the anthropometric profiles of children and adults, contributing to the coexistence of chronic undernutrition (low height‐for‐age) and overweight/obesity at the individual, family, and population levels (Popkin et al, 2020; Tzioumis et al, 2016).…”