Changes in the nutritional status of children and adolescents in Shandong, China

Objective: Nutritional status during childhood plays an important role in the human life cycle. The present study examined the prevalence trends in different grades of nutritional status (thinness, normal weight, overweight and obesity) among children and adolescents in Shandong, China. Design: Data for the study were obtained from six cross-sectional surveys of schoolchildren carried out in 1985, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2014. Height and weight of all children were measured; BMI was calculated from their height and weight. International BMI cut-offs were used to define thinness, overweight and obesity. Setting: Shandong Province, China. Subjects: A total of 56045 students aged 7-18 years were included in the current analysis. (R)esults: In the past 29 years, the prevalence of thinness decreased from 18.22% and 23.45% in 1985 to 7.18% and 9.49% in 2014 for boys and girls, respectively. Conversely, the prevalence of combined overweight and obesity increased from 1.79% and 1.66% in 1985 to 31.12% and 20.11% in 2014 for boys and girls, respectively. Conclusions: The nutritional profile of Shandong children and adolescents had an obvious change over the past 29 years. Special attention should be paid to controlling the rapid rise of childhood overweight and obesity.