Objective  To examine variations in height, weight and prevalence of overweight and obesity among 10 – 15 years old children in China during 2010 – 2016 for providing evidences to physical health promotion of the children.

  Methods  We used the data on 10 939 children aged 10 – 15 years surveyed in four waves of the China Family Panel Studies conducted in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 in 25 provincial level regions across China. Data processing and statistical analysis were performed with Stata 13 and SPSS 19.0.

  Results  Compared to those in 2010, the average height increased by 3.7 and 1.9 centimeters for the urban boys and girls and 4.2 and 3.2 centimeters for the rural boys and girls in 2016; while the average weight increased by 3.4 and 1.8 kilograms for the urban boy and girls and 3.5 and 2.7 kilograms for the rural boys and girls; the variations in the height and weight were all statistically significant (all P < 0.05), except for those for urban girls. Significant differences in yearly prevalence rate of overweight and obesity were observed in the all boys and in the rural boys and girls (P < 0.05 for all) but not in the all girls and in the urban boys and girls (all P > 0.05).

  Conclusion  During 2010 – 2016 among 10 – 15 years old Chinese children, the height and weight increased rapidly, but the prevalence rate of overweight and obesity also increased; the increases were more obvious among the rural children and there were regional disparities in the growth and development indicators between the urban and the rural children.