Grade malnutrition may have created a 20 cm high gap across the country

A new global analysis led by Imperial College London and published in a journal LancetAssessed the height and weight of school-age children and adolescents around the world.

Using data from 65 million children aged 5 to 19 in 193 countries, this study School age childrenHeight and weight of the “s”, an indicator of health and dietary quality, vary widely around the world.

There was a 20 cm difference between the highest and shortest countries, 19 years old. This represents an 8-year growth gap for girls and a 6-year growth gap for boys. For example, research shows that the average 19-year-old girl in Bangladesh and Guatemala (the country with the shortest girls in the world) is the same height as the average 11-year-old girl in the tallest country, the Netherlands. I did. boys and girls.

The international team behind the study found that highly variable pediatric nutrition, especially the lack of high-quality foods, can lead to stunting and increased childhood obesity, affecting child health and lifelong well-being. It warns that it may be given.

According to a survey reporting data from 1985 to 2019, the countries with the highest age of 19 in 2019 were in northwestern and central Europe, including the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark and Iceland.

These countries with the shortest age of 19 in 2019 were mainly in South Asia and Southeast Asia, Latin America and East Africa, including East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Guatemala and Bangladesh.

The largest improvement in average child height over 35 years has been seen in emerging economies such as China, South Korea and parts of Southeast Asia. For example, a 19-year-old boy in China in 2019 was 8 cm taller than in 1985, and his world ranking changed from 150 in 1985 to 65 in 2019. In contrast, the height of many Sub-Saharan children, especially boys, has stagnated or declined in African countries over the last few decades.

The UK’s global height rankings have deteriorated over the last 35 years, with 19-year-old boys from 28th (176.3 cm) in 1985 to 39th (178.2 cm) in 2019 and 19-year-old girls 42nd (178.2 cm). It has dropped from 162.7 cm). ) To 49th (163.9cm).

The study also evaluated the child’s body mass index (BMI), which is a measure of height-to-weight ratio. This indicates whether you have a healthy weight for your height. Analysis revealed that a 19-year-old child with the highest BMI was found in the Pacific Islands, the Middle East, the United States, and New Zealand. BMI 19 years old It was the worst in South Asian countries such as India and Bangladesh. The difference between the lightest and heaviest BMI in this study was about 9 units of BMI (equivalent to a body weight of about 25 kg).

The research team explained the analysis and also revealed that in many countries, 5-year-olds had a healthy range of height and weight as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, since this age, children in some countries have gained too little height and gained too much weight compared to their potential for healthy growth.

The team says the most important reason for this is the lack of proper and healthy nutrition and living conditions in the grade, as both height and weight gain are closely related to the quality of the child’s diet. I will.

Professor Majid Ezati, a senior author of research at the Imperials School of Public Health, said: This issue is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, where schools around the world are closed and many poor families are unable to provide adequate nutrition to their children. “

Dr. Andrea Rodriguez Martinez, lead author of the Imperials School of Public Health research, said: These initiatives include food vouchers for nutritious foods for low-income households and free healthy school dietary programs that are particularly threatened during pandemics. These actions make children taller without excessive weight gain and their health and well-being throughout their lives. “

Further results are also available below:

The 10 highest boys in 2019 (19 years old)

Netherlands (183.8 cm), Montenegro (183.3 cm), Estonia (182.8 cm), Bosnia Herzegovina (182.5 cm), Iceland (182.1 cm), Denmark (181.9 cm), Czech Republic (181.2 cm), Latvia (181.2 cm) ), Slovakia (181.0 cm), Slovenia (181.0 cm)

The shortest 10 countries for boys in 2019 (19 years old)

East Timor (160.1 cm), Laos (162.8 cm), Solomon Islands (163.1 cm), Papua New Guinea (163.1 cm), Mozambique (164.3 cm), Guatemala (164.4 cm), Nepal (164.4 cm), Yemen (164.4 cm) , Bangladesh (165.1 cm), Madagascar (165.2 cm)

The 10 highest countries for girls in 2019 (19 years old)

Netherlands (170.4 cm), Montenegro (170.0 cm), Denmark (169.5 cm), Iceland (168.9 cm), Latvia (168.8 cm), Estonia (168.7 cm), Serbia (168.3 cm), Czech Republic (168.0 cm), Lithuania (167.6 cm), American Samoa (167.6 cm)

The shortest 10 countries for girls in 2019 (19 years old)

Guatemala (150.9 cm), Bangladesh (152.4 cm), Nepal (152.4 cm), East Timor (152.7 cm), Madagascar (153.1 cm), Laos (153.1 cm), Philippines (154.1 cm), Maldives (154.3 cm), Indonesia (154.4 cm), Peru (154.4 cm)

10 countries with the highest BMI for boys (19 years old) in 2019

Cook Islands (29.6), Nauru (29.5), Tuvalu (28.2), Niue (28.1), Tonga (27.3), American Samoa (27.2), Tokelau (27.2), Palau (27.1), French Polynesia (26.3), Kiribati (26.2)

10 countries with the lowest BMI for boys (19 years old) in 2019

Ethiopia (19.2), Niger (19.8), Democratic Republic of the Congo (19.9), Senegal (20.1), India (20.1), East Timor (20.3), Bangladesh (20.4), Central African Republic (20.5), Nepal (20.5), Chad (20.6)

10 countries with the highest BMI for girls (19 years old) in 2019

Tonga (29.0), Cook Islands (28.9), Nauru (28.6), Niue (28.3), Tokelau (27.9), Samoa (27.9), Tuvalu (27.2), American Samoa (26.6), Palau (26.5), French Polynesia Polynesia (26.2)

10 countries with the lowest BMI for girls (19 years old) in 2019

Timor-Leste (19.6), Romania (19.9), India (20.1), Vietnam (20.4), Madagascar (20.4), Sri Lanka (20.6), Cambodia (20.6), Myanmar (20.6), Bangladesh (20.6), Japan (20.6) )

Other 2019 Country Data for 19 Years:

Country average height (cm) rank height Average BMI (kg / m)²) Rank BMI

male

United Kingdom 178.239 23.5 60

United States 176.947 25.4 16

China 175.765 23 88

India 166.5180 20.1 196

France 178.634 22.5 113

Germany 180.319 23.3 68

Australia 178.829 24.4 27

Canada 178.730 23.8 43

Female

United Kingdom 163.949 23.8 50

United States 163.358 25.4 19

China 163.554 22.2 119

India 155.2182 20.1 198

France 164.545 21.7 151

Germany 166.225 22.6 98

Australia 164.740 24.2 36

Canada 164.739 23.3 69