School of Public Health and Primary Care, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
BMC Public Health. 2010 Feb 3;10:56. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-56.
One out of ten of China's population are migrants, moving from rural to urban areas. Many leave their families behind resulting in millions of school children living in their rural home towns without one or both their parents. Little is known about the health status of these left behind children (LBC). This study compares the health status and health-related behaviours of left behind adolescent school children and their counterparts in a rural area in Southern China.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among middle school students in Fuyang Township, Guangdong, China (2007-2008). Information about health behaviours, parental migration and demographic characteristics was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Overweight/obesity and stunting were defined based on measurements of height and weight. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to estimate the differences in health outcomes between LBC and non-LBC.
18.1% of the schoolchildren had one or both parents working away from home. Multivariate analysis showed that male LBC were at higher risk of skipping breakfast, higher levels of physical inactivity, internet addiction, having ever smoked tobacco, suicide ideation, and being overweight. LBC girls were more likely to drink excessive amounts of sweetened beverage, to watch more TV, to have ever smoked or currently smoke tobacco, to have ever drunk alcohol and to binge drinking. They were also more likely to be unhappy, to think of planning suicide and consider leaving home.
Our findings suggest that parental migration is a risk factor for unhealthy behaviours amongst adolescent school children in rural China. Further research is required in addition to the consideration of the implications for policies and programmes to protect LBC.
中国每 10 个人中就有 1 人是流动人口，从农村流向城市。许多人将家人留在农村，导致数以百万计的学童在农村老家生活，他们的父母一方或双方都不在身边。对于这些留守儿童的健康状况知之甚少。本研究比较了中国南方广东省阜阳市农村地区留守儿童和非留守儿童的健康状况和与健康相关的行为。
2007-2008 年，在中国广东省阜阳市的中学进行了一项横断面研究。使用自我管理问卷收集有关健康行为、父母迁移和人口特征的信息。超重/肥胖和发育迟缓是根据身高和体重的测量来定义的。使用单变量和多变量分析来估计留守儿童和非留守儿童健康结果之间的差异。
18.1%的学生父母一方或双方外出打工。多变量分析表明，男性留守儿童更有可能不吃早餐、体力活动水平更高、上网成瘾、吸烟、有自杀意念和超重。留守儿童女孩更有可能喝过量的含糖饮料、看更多的电视、吸烟或目前吸烟、饮酒和狂饮。他们也更有可能不快乐、考虑自杀和离家出走。
我们的研究结果表明，父母迁移是中国农村青少年不健康行为的一个风险因素。除了考虑政策和计划的影响以保护留守儿童外，还需要进一步研究。
