Health condition of left-behind children in Dingxi county of Guizhou province

Objective To study the health condition and characteristics of left-behind children in rural area of Guizhou province and to provide evidence for improving physical and psychological health of the children.Methods Totally 1 565 students selected from 5 schools were surveyed with a self-designed questionnaire and some of them were surveyed with Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist(CBCL) and Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices(SPM).Results The ratio of left-behind students among the students about 35.01%.The average hight of the left-behind and non-left-behind boys were 128.74 cm and 130.46 cm,and the average weight were 27.31 kg and 28.71 kg,respectively.The average hight of leftbehind and non-left-behind girls were 128.52 cm and 131.54 cm and the average weight were 27.26 kg and 28.77 kg,respectively.There were significant differences in height and weight between left-behind children and non-left-behind children of the same gender.The prevalent rate of behavioral problems in the left-behind children were significantly higher than in non-left-behind children.There was no significant difference in the level of intelligence between the left-behind and non-lefthehind children.Conclusion The proportion of left-behind children is high in the rural area of Guizhou province and the growth and development of left-behind children are at a lower level.The status of mental health behavioral problem is different among the children of different age.