Difficulty: Summit (Level 3)
Children in Hong Kong have grown taller and weighed more over the past 30 years due to factors such as improved nutrition and socio-economic conditions, a new study has found.
The researchers also used the results to create a new growth curve to track young people’s physical development. The chart is expected to be introduced in public hospitals by the end of the year.
The first phase of the study began in February 2019, collecting growth statistics from more than 21,000 children and adolescents across Hong Kong.
The study found that the median height of 18-year-olds increased by about 2 cm in 2020 compared to 1993, when the medical growth curve was last updated. The median is the number in the middle of a set of data.
The median height for boys was 172.5 cm, up from 170.9 cm in 1993. The median height for girls was 160.2 cm, an increase from 158.2 cm. Researchers also found that children generally weighed more.
Professor Tony Nelson, from the Department of Pediatrics at Chinese University, said: [that] Improving your nutrition, lifestyle, and other social factors over decades can help you grow taller. ”
quiz time
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Why have the heights and weights of Hong Kong children increased over the past 30 years?
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How will these research results be used at hospitals in the city?
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How many children participated in the study?
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What is the increase in the median height of 18-year-old boys and girls in Hong Kong?
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When was the last time the city updated its growth graph?
Recommended answer
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Due to improved nutritional status and improved socio-economic conditions.
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The findings were used to create new growth curves to track children’s development.
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21,000
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2cm
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1993
