[Current situation and trend of child growth in China].

Data of Food and Nutrition Surveillance in 1990, 1995 and 1998 was analyzed; it indicated the evident improvement of weight and height of children under 5 in the past eight years. The prevalence of underweight were reduced from 8.0% in 1990 to 2.7% in 1998 in the urban, and in the rural, the prevalence were 22.0% and 12.6% respectively. The reduction of prevalence of stunting in the urban decreased from 9.4% to 4.1%, and in the rural from 41.4% to 22.0% in the same period. During 1990-1995, weight of children under 5 went up evidently, but linear growth improvement was very slow and did not match the weigh gain. Height of children increased in a higher speed during 1995-1998. Height and weigh of age groups indicated that 6-18 month was the critical period for prevention of malnutrition of children under 5. The paper further analyzed the favorable changes of the attributable factors of malnutrition, such as diarrhea, safe drinking water, breastfeeding, education level of mothers, household diet and income during this period. The conclusion is the remarkable nutrition improvement of children under 5 in 1990s is the consequence of the rapid socio-economic development of China.