Objective To examine ages of pubertal peak, changing trends in height and weight, and gender difference in growth and development among rural primary and high school students in Jilin province, and to provide evidences for prompting the students′ growth and development.
Methods The data on height and weight were extracted from the dataset of 6 waves of nutrition and health survey sponsored by the Nutritional Improvement Program for Rural Compulsory Education Students in Jilin province; the surveys were conducted yearly from 2012 to 2017 among a total of 32 965 students recruited with multistage stratified cluster sampling in primary schools and high schools covered by the program.
Results Ofall the 6 – 15 years old students surveyed, 16 722 were boy students averagely aged 10.30 ± 2.61 years and 16 243 were girl students averagely aged 10.22 ± 2.59 years. During the survey period, the height presented a significant increasing trend among the body students of various ages and among the girl students aged 8 – 14 years (all P < 0.05) but remained stable among the girl students aged 6 – 7 and 15 years (all P > 0.05). The ages for peak height velocity were 11 – 13 years among the boy students and 8 – 11 years among the girl students; the ages for peak weight velocity were 7 – 12 years among the boy students and 9 – 11 years among the girl students, respectively.
Conclusion The height and weight increased generally among rural primary and high school students and the ages for peak height and weight velocity were different between the boy and girl students in Jilin province during the period from 2012 to 2017.
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