AUTHOR=Zhou Yunping , Yu Pengli , Zhang Yanqing , Wang Tao , Wang Aimin 

TITLE=Distinct Patterns of Urban-Rural and Sex Disparities in Children's BMI Trajectories From 2013 to 2018

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.689021

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2021.689021

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background: To identify distinct trajectories of body mass index (BMI) in a large sample of Chinese children by urban-rural and sex.
Methods: Data for this study was obtained from the National Surveys on Chinese Students’ Constitution and Health among 16 060 children aged 6-11 years. Weight and height data were used to calculate BMI. The group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) was used to identify distinct BMI trajectories.
Results: Seven distinct trajectories were identified, “Sustained Healthy Weight (46.01%)”, “Sustained Obesity (17.26%)”, “Sustained Underweight (4.50%)”, “Obesity to Overweight (6.45%)”, “Obesity to Healthy Weight (11.75%)”, “Healthy Weight to Overweight (8.67%)”, and “Healthy Weight to Obesity (5.36%)”. The proportions of “Sustained Obesity”, “Healthy Weight to Obesity” and “Healthy Weight to Overweight” trajectories were much higher among boys compared with girls (P<0.001). Meanwhile, children living in rural areas were more represented in the “Healthy Weight to Obesity” trajectory (P<0.001).
Conclusion: In this study, the proportions of BMI development trajectories among 6-11 years children varied by sex and urban-rural areas, which may require tailored interventions specifically towards these at-risk trajectories.