Growth and nutritional status among rural left-behind children

ObjectiveTo investigate the status of and the relationship between the growth and nutrition status among rural left-behind children and to provide evidences for making relevant polices and conducting nutritional intervention in the children.MethodsTotallty 1 334 studetns of grade 5 and 6 were randomly selected from 6 primary schools in Xichong and Peng'an county of Nanchong city with multi-stage stratified cluster sampling and investigated with a questionnaire survey and physical measurement.ResultsThere were significant differences in the rates of growth retardation,emaciation,and overweight among the children of different groups(P< 0.05 for all).The rates of growth retardation(23.40%)and overweight(31.34%)in the children with mothers being migrant workers were higher than those of other children.There were significant differences in daily food intakes among children of different groups,especially for dairy,fish,fruits,and egg(P<0.05 for all).The children having the intakes of six kinds of food 3-5 times a week or more had the lowest the rate of growth retardation and the children being fond of the animal food had the highest rate of overweight(30.4%).ConclusionGrowth retardation and overweight are serious health problems among rural left-behind children,especially among the children without mothers at home.Dietary intake is associated with the growth status of children and dietary structure of left-behind children needs to be improved.