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Body Composition Highlights Original Article

The double burden of under- and overnutrition and nutrient adequacy among Chinese preschool and school-aged children in 2009–2011

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 69, pages 1323–1329 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Coincident with economic development, China has experienced a marked transition from undernutrition to overweight/obesity over the last few decades. We aimed to explore the burden of under- and overnutrition and nutrient adequacy among 2–12-year-old Chinese children.

Subjects/Methods:

We included anthropometry, dietary intake and biomarkers from 2–12-year-olds who participated in the 2009–2011 China Health and Nutrition Survey (n=1191 in 2009; n=1648 in 2011). Dietary intakes were compared with the 2013 Chinese Dietary Recommended Intakes.

Results:

In 2011, ~19% of 2–6-year-old children were underweight, 4% were stunted, 10% were overweight and 12% were obese. Among 7–12-year-old children, stunting was almost 0%, whereas ~21% were underweight, 13% were overweight and 6% were obese in 2011. Overweight and obesity were more prevalent among children from urban areas and higher income households. In particular, 2–6-year-old children from urban areas and higher income households experienced the highest increase in obesity from 2009 to 2011 (P<0.05). Children from urban areas and higher income households had overall higher intakes of total daily energy and most macro- and micronutrients (P<0.05). However, a significant proportion of children did not meet the recommendations for important micronutrients.

Conclusions:

Underweight and stunting currently coexist with overweight and obesity among Chinese children <12-year-old. We found critical disparities in the prevalence of under- and overweight/obesity, as well as in nutrient intakes and dietary adequacies between children from different incomes, revealing that the burden of childhood under- and overnutrition may constitute a public health concern in modern China.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Phil Bardsley for programming assistance; Dr Alison L. Eldridge for helpful revision, and Ms. Frances L. Dancy for administrative assistance. Funding for this work was provided by the Nestlé Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Author contributions

CP, DW and BMP designed the research; CP, DW, SD, BZ, ZW, CS and BMP conducted the research; CP analyzed the data; CP, DW and BMP wrote the paper; CP, DW, SD, BZ, ZW, CS and BMP had primary responsibility for final content. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carolina Population Center, UNC, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    C Piernas, S Du, Z Wang & B M Popkin

  2. Nestlé Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland

    D Wang

  3. National Institute for Nutrition and Health, China Center for Disease Control, Beijing, China

    B Zhang, Z Wang & C Su

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  1. C Piernas
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  2. D Wang
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  4. B Zhang
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  7. B M Popkin
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Correspondence to B M Popkin.

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Piernas, C., Wang, D., Du, S. et al. The double burden of under- and overnutrition and nutrient adequacy among Chinese preschool and school-aged children in 2009–2011. Eur J Clin Nutr 69, 1323–1329 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2015.106

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