Physical growth and development of Li children and adolescents in Hainan

Objective To study the characteristics of physical growth and development of Li children and adolescents in Hainan province and to provide evidence for nutritional intervention.Methods Through January to June 2010,3 023 Li children at age of 7-19 years living in Wuzhishan,Baisha,Lingshui,Ledong,and Changjiang city or county were selected with stratified random cluster sampling and their height,weight,chest circumference and other indicators of growth and development were measured and analyzed.Results The height,weight,and chest circumference of the Li children showed increasing trends in the period of 7-17 years old and increased fast between the age of 13 to 14 years for male and the age of 9-10 for female.Height,weight,and chest circumference of Li children were significantly lower than those of the rural Han students of same gender,especially for the Li children of 13 years old.Conclusion Lowlevel of physical growth and development exists in Li children indicating that the nutrition status of the children should be improved.