Trend analysis of students' height-for-adult height among Chinese Han nationality school children and adolescents

Objective To identify changes in students' height-for-adult height among Chinese Han nationality school children and adolescents form 1985 to 2014,and to provide the reference for research of the trend.Methods On the basis of data from 7 successive cross-sectional surveys of the Chinese National Survey on Student's Constitution and Health(CNSSCH) conducted in 1985,1991,1995,2000,2005,2010 and 2014,we calculated students' height-for-adult height and the net increment.We analyzed secular trend of Chinese Han nationality school students' height.Results Secular trends showed the height of Chinese Han nationality students was increasing during 1985 to 2014.The height increased 3.79 cm for boys and 2.30 cm for girls.The urban-rural difference averagely decreased from 2.92 cm to 1.21 cm for boys and 2.07 cm to 0.95 cm for girls since 1985.Seven-year-old students' height-for-adult height increased from 72.02% to 73.62% for boys and form 76.54% to 78.50% for girls since 1985,8-14-year-old students' height-for-adult height increased every year.Students' height-for-adult height of girls was higher than that of boys of the same age.Students' height-for-adult height among l0-year-old girls/12-year-old boys and 14-year-old girls/16-year-old boys was same.Net increment of students' height-for-adult height increased most for 10-year-old girls and 12-year-old boys,there is no increment for 16-year-old students.Discussion During 30 years,there was an increasing trend of the Chinese Han nationality school children and adolescents,the urban-rural difference of height was decreasing,mainly shown as students' heightfor-adult height increasing significantly before growth spurt in adolescence.