The body mass index of Chinese adults in the 1980s

Analysis of data from the 1989 China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS-89) and the 1982 China Nationwide Nutrition Survey (CNS-82) revealed the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and socio-economic and dietary factors of Chinese adults in the 1980s. The CNS-82 showed that of the rural and urban sample, respectively, 12.9% and 11.6% had a BMI of less than 18.5 and 6.9% and 9.8% had a BMI of more than 25, and that males were taller and heavier than females. When compared with CNS-82 data, the CHNS-89 data showed 1.3% and 1.4% fewer individuals with a BMI of less than 18.5 and 2% and 4.8% more individuals with a BMI of more than 25 in the rural and urban sample, respectively. In the urban sample, lower income determined the prevalence of low BMI, and the incidence of high BMI was less in low income groups of overall and rural samples.