Secular trends and sociodemographic determinants of thinness, overweight and obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 7-18 years from 2010 to 2018

BackgroundMost studies have focused on overweight/obesity and its secular trend, with insufficient studies on the factors influencing thinness and trends recently. To examine the trends of prevalence and sociodemographic determinants of thinness, overweight, and obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years from 2010 to 2018. MethodsThis study was based on cross-sectional data of 11,234 children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2010, 2014, and 2018, including anthropometric and sociodemographic characteristics variables. The nutritional status of each individual was determined according to China and WHO criteria. The demographic characteristics of different subgroups were tested by chi-square, and log-binomial regression was used to analyze the trend of prevalence and the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and different nutritional statuses. ResultsAfter adjusting for age, from 2010 to 2018, the overall prevalence of thinness decreased, and the prevalence of overweight increased in Chinese children and adolescents. The overall prevalence of obesity declined in boys and increased in girls, but in adolescents aged 16-18 years, it increased significantly. Log-binomial regression analysis showed that among all subjects, time (years), 16-18 years were negatively associated with thinness, while 13-15 years, walking to school, large family size, and paternal age at childbirth older than 30 years old were positively associated with thinness; 10-12/13-15/16-18 years, boarding at school, medium and large family sizes, and mother's education at junior middle school/junior high school and above were negatively associated with overweight/obesity, while time (years), boys were positively associated with overweight/obesity in the multivariate model by adjusting for the statistically significant factors (all p < 0.05). ConclusionChinese children and adolescents are facing a double burden of malnutrition. Future public health policies and interventions should prioritize high-risk groups specifically young age groups, boys, larger family sizes and so on.

Automated summary

This study investigated the prevalence and sociodemographic determinants of thinness, overweight, and obesity among Chinese children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years from 2010 to 2018. The findings showed that the prevalence of thinness decreased while overweight increased during this period. The prevalence of obesity declined in boys but increased in girls, particularly in adolescents aged 16-18 years. Factors such as age, mode of transportation to school, family size, and parental age were found to be associated with thinness, overweight, and obesity.