Physical growth trend of 3 to 6 years old children in urban areas of Lanzhou city from 2001 to 2013

ObjectiveTo analyze the physical growth data of preschool children aged 3-6 years in urban areas of Lanzhou city from 2001 to 2013 and to study the physical growth trend of the children for making regional and domestic policy to improve the health of the children.MethodsThe children were selected from 67 kindergartens in different functional urban areas of Lanzhou.The changes of height and weight of the children during 13 years were studied.The change trend was analyzed using Z scores of height for age(WAZ), weight for age(HAZ), and weight for height(WHZ).ResultsThe height and weight of the children increased by age from 2001-2013(P<0.05).The average increments of height and weight of the boys(1.8 cm and 2.4 kg) were higher than those of the girls(1.3 cm and 0.8 kg),with significant differences(P<0.05 for all).The height and weight of the children of various age were significantly different at different periods during the 13 years,with significant differences(P<0.05 for all).The prelevance rates of overweight and obesity of the children of different age groups(except for the group of 3 years old) were significantly different(P<0.05) during the 13 years, with a yearly increase.ConclusionDuring the 13 years, the physical growth level of preschool children in urban areas of Lanzhou city increased rapidly,however,the prevalences of ouerweight and obesity also increased.