Abstract
Summary What is already known about this topic? China has a significant population of left-behind children, and their health and living environments remain a major public health challenge. Children under 6 years old are especially vulnerable to poor health knowledge and behaviors of their caregivers. What is added by this report? The prevalence of stunting, being underweight, and often sick were 13%, 3.4%, and 5%, respectively. Only 53.9% of left-behind children could eat meat often, and 59.5% could control their intake of sugary drinks. The proportions of children who had a safe home environment, a safe play environment, and no family violence were 22.5%, 75.3%, and 45.9%, respectively. The percentages of caregivers who ensured that they rarely left their children alone and were always in their sight are 76.1% and 92.4%, respectively. What are the implications for public health practice? The implementation of early home visits is necessary to improve the physical health and safety of the living environment of left-behind children. Primary health workers should pay attention to improving the health knowledge and behaviors of caregivers.
Highlights
To assess the health status and family support of leftbehind children aged 0–6 years old in China, a survey was conducted for left-behind children under 6 years old and their caregivers in 6 project counties of 6 provinces in 2018 based on the Rural Left-Behind Children’s Health and Development Promotion Project, which was implemented in 2016–2020
The prevalence of stunting, being underweight, and often sick were 13%, 3.4%, and 5%, respectively; only 53.9% of left-behind children could eat meat often, and 59.5% could control their intake of sugary drinks
The prevalence of stunting and being underweight were 13% and 3.4%, respectively, which was lower than that among children aged under 5 years that the National Nutrition and Health Monitoring System reported in 2013 (19.0% and 5.1%, respectively)(3)
Summary
Health Status of Left-Behind Children and Parenting Behaviors of Caregivers in Poor Rural Areas — 6 Provinces, China, 2018. To assess the health status and family support of leftbehind children aged 0–6 years old in China, a survey was conducted for left-behind children under 6 years old and their caregivers in 6 project counties of 6 provinces in 2018 based on the Rural Left-Behind Children’s Health and Development Promotion Project, which was implemented in 2016–2020. The prevalence of stunting, being underweight, and often sick were 13%, 3.4%, and 5%, respectively; only 53.9% of left-behind children could eat meat often, and 59.5% could control their intake of sugary drinks. The purpose of the project is to explore early home visit services and comprehensive healthcare intervention models for left-behind children and their caregivers in rural areas to provide family support and promote the health and development of left-behind children. Investigators measured the height and CCDC Weekly / Vol 3 / No 3
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