Abstract
Accelerated urbanization and rising immigration to the big cities in China has resulted in education policies that produce disparate treatment of immigrant and non-immigrant students. The two types of students frequently wind up in different types of junior high schools. However, there is little research on whether disparities exist between students in public and private schools with regard to overweight. This study aims to address this gap through a comparison of the overweight status of junior high school students in public and private schools in Shanghai and explore the possible reasons for the observed differences. Students from two public and two private junior high schools were measured. In order to determine what factors might shape overweight among adolescents. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess associations between overweight and personal characteristics, birth-related factors, levels of physical activity, diet, family socioeconomic status and school environment. Students in private schools proved more likely to be overweight (15.20%, p < 0.05) than public school students (10.18%). Similarly, gender, breastfeeding, parental care and number of classes excluding physical education per day were found to be significant factors. However, private school students were also influenced by gestational age (yes/no: OR = 4.50, p < 0.001), frequency of snacks (sometimes/often: OR = 0.53, p < 0.01) and family income (¥6001–12,000/below ¥6000: OR = 3.27, p < 0.05). Time for lunch was the sole risk factor for public school students in the study (p < 0.05). To reduce the unequal distribution of overweight students between the two types of schools, interventions that consider different multiple risk factors should be implemented.
Highlights
Rapid urbanization and changes in living standards in developing countries such as China, are accompanied by increased adolescent overweight
It seemed that factors related to early infancy, physical activity and diet, and school environment explained more of private school students’ obesity than public school students’
It was understandable that differences in the personal characteristics, factors related to early infancy, physical activity and diet, socioeconomic factors, and school environment may have contributed to the discrepancy that existed in the prevalence of overweight adolescents in the two types of schools
Summary
Rapid urbanization and changes in living standards in developing countries such as China, are accompanied by increased adolescent overweight This development has attracted a growing concern from both the government and the public. In order to control the dramatic increase in migration in these highly-developed cities, strict registration policy was implemented from the early 2000s for migrants and only the elite immigrants may access the new census register of local identification. In this case, only those students whose parents enjoy registered residence in the city may be accepted by good public elementary and secondary schools [16]
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