Better Nutrition, Bigger Kids

Not too long ago, many Chinese kids under age 7 were guaranteed free bus fares, amusement park admission and other services, so long as they were under 3-foot-7.

Now, thanks to better nutrition, many 5-year-olds are now exceed 4 feet – a problem for many parents who now have to pay more for bus fare and other services. In fact, today's average 5-year-old Chinese is four inches taller than in 1949, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

A few localities have raised their thresholds to accommodate this growth spurt, though most haven’t --- and many Chinese parents aren’t happy about it.

The increasing availability of cheap food also is causing health problems similar to those in the West. Almost a quarter of children in Shanghai, China's most prosperous city, are reported to be malnourished because they eat too much junk food and not enough fruits and vegetables.

There is also a growing obesity problem in China and throughout much of eastern Asia. Many Asians have gone from consuming between 1,500 and 2,000 calories a day to between 2,000 and 3,000 calories. And many of these calories increasingly are being derived from milk, ice cream, cookies and soft drinks.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at February 23, 2004 08:30 AM | TrackBack