title: BMI-for-age Z-score distribution shifts among Chinese children: gender disparity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify gender differences among Chinese school-aged children from 1995 to 2010, and to project the future BMI-for-age Z-score distribution and prevalence of obesity.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data were from four cross-sectional surveys (1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010) of Chinese National Surveys on Students Constitution and Health (CNSSCH) with a national representative sample of Chinese children, involving more than 200,000 participants at each survey. BMI-for-age Z-score distributional shifts overall and in percentiles were compared by gender. Average shift was calculated for four survey periods and used for projecting future distributions and obesity prevalence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BMI-for-age Z-score increased more in their upper percentile distribution, indicating that Chinese children have become heavier over the past 15 years. Gender disparity in BMI-for-age Z-score has become wider during the period. Over a 15-year period, BMI-for-age Z-score shift among girls has been stable, while boy's BMI-for-age Z-score shifts has increased linearly. By 2020, the obesity prevalence is predicted to be 10.18% and 4.99% for boys and girls, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The wider gender disparity suggested a larger proportion of obesity in boys than in girls. Therefore, gender-specific preventive guidelines and public health policies for childhood obesity and cardiovascular diseases are urgently needed in China.
authors: Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Song
authors: Hai-Jun
authors: HJ
authors: Wang
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Ma
authors: Patrick W C
authors: PW
authors: Lau
authors: Peijin
authors: P
authors: Hu
authors: Bing
authors: B
authors: Zhang
authors: Zhiqiang
authors: Z
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D044466:Asian People; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015995:Prevalence; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors