City dwellers in China, no matter how old they are, have grown
taller and heavier than their peers in rural areas, with people in
the north towering over those in the south.
But bigger doesn't mean healthier.
Chinese people, on average, have seen an apparent decline in their
health, judging by the rising blood pressure and falling vital
capacity after the age of 40.
The findings are from a national survey on people's physical
status, which was drafted by 11 governmental departments, including
the State Sport General Administration and National Bureau
of Statistics.
According to the survey, urban kids between the ages of three and
six are better than their rural counterparts in speed, flexibility
and co-ordination.
But the rural kids can throw farther and keep their balance better.
The physical quality of rural elder people is inferior to that of
urban elder ones in all aspects except flexibility, the survey
indicated.
It
also showed that manual labourers have more muscular power than
mental labourers, who are better in speed, sensitivity, the ability
to keep their balance.
A
survey network has been established in 31 provinces, filling a
vacuum there, said Zhang Faqiang, vice-director of the State Sport
General Administration.
The survey was conducted last year among 533,910 Chinese between
the ages of three and 69.
(China
Daily October 29,2001)