Child Nutrition Trends Over the Past Two Decades and Challenges for Achieving Nutrition SDGs and National Targets in China

Bo Yang, Xin Huang, Qin Liu, Shenglan Tang, Mary Story, Yiwen Chen and Maigeng Zhou
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Bo Yang: School of Public Health and Management, Research Center for Medicine and Social Development, Collaborative Innovation Center of Social Risks Governance in Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Xin Huang: School of Public Health and Management, Research Center for Medicine and Social Development, Collaborative Innovation Center of Social Risks Governance in Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Qin Liu: School of Public Health and Management, Research Center for Medicine and Social Development, Collaborative Innovation Center of Social Risks Governance in Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Shenglan Tang: Department of Population Health Science and Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
Mary Story: Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
Yiwen Chen: School of Public Health and Management, Research Center for Medicine and Social Development, Collaborative Innovation Center of Social Risks Governance in Health, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
Maigeng Zhou: National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Xicheng District, Beijing 100050, China

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: Background: The objectives of the current study were to identify the trends in child nutrition, the gaps in achieving child nutrition-related goals, and implications for program and policy options for the Chinese government. Methods: Eight child nutrition-related indicators from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and China’s national nutrition plans, and two datasets, Global Burden of Disease 2016 and Chinese National Nutrition and Health Surveillance, were used in our analysis. Results: Over the past 26 years, the prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight for children under 5 years was reduced by 58.7%, 53.4%, and 69.2%, respectively. Overweight for children aged 1–4 years increased 88.9% and obesity increased 2.14 times. Exclusive breastfeeding of newborns (7–28 days) was stable, at about 30%. We estimated child wasting would be 3.0% lower than the target of 5.0% based on predictive values for meeting the SDGs in 2025. The number of stunted children under five years would be reduced by 39.7%, while overweight would increase 2.2% throughout China. Conclusion: These results highlight the urgent need for targeted policies and interventions to reduce child stunting and overweight and increase exclusive breastfeeding to improve child health and meet the SDG targets and China’s national goals.

Keywords: Nutrition; Malnutrition; SDGs; China’s national plans; Children (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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