A NATIONAL survey on nutrition and health shows that China is still facing the dual challenges of nutritional deficiency and imbalance, even though great progress has been made in recent years.

The survey, jointly conducted by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Bureau of Statistics, took samples from 71,971 households scattered throughout the country's 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

The four-month survey, completed in December 2002, was China's first ever comprehensive survey in the field of nutrition and health.

After on-the-spot investigations, various tests were conducted and databases assembled in 2003. The report was released only recently, after an analysis of the information was completed.

According to the survey, the quality of the average diet of Chinese people has improved significantly.

The energy and protein intake of the urban and rural population is basically satisfactory, with consumption of meat, poultry, eggs and other animal products increasing significantly in the past decade.

The energy contribution from fat increased from 19 to 28 per cent, while energy contribution from carbohydrates decreased from 70 to 61 per cent.

The average 3- to 18-year-old in both urban and rural areas is 3.3 centimetres taller than the average in 1992.

When compared to urban residents, rural boys and men were, on average, 4.9 centimetres shorter, rural girls and women 4.2 centimetres shorter.

Though the diet and nutritional status of the population has improved significantly thanks to rapid economic growth, the dietary habits of urban residents are still sub-optimal, the survey shows.

Chinese people's consumption of poultry, meat, oils and fats is too high, researchers concluded. In 2002, the daily consumption of oils and fats among urban residents increased to 44 grams from 37 grams in 1992.The energy contribution from fat reached 35 per cent, exceeding the upper limit of 30 per cent recommended by the World Health Organization.

In contrast, the energy contribution from cereals among urban residents is only 47 per cent, which is significantly lower than the recommended range of 55 to 65 per cent.

High dietary energy, high dietary fat and inadequate physical activity are among the main factors contributing to the high occurrence of obesity, diabetes and abnormal blood lipid levels among urban residents.

According to the survey, the rate of hypertension has increased by 31 per cent since 1991. The prevalence of hypertension among people over 18 is 18.8 per cent, amounting to about 160 million people.

The incidence of diabetes has also rapidly increased. It is estimated that there are more than 20 million diabetic patients across the country.

Low consumption of dairy and soy products, along with a deficiency in micronutrients such as iron and vitamin A, are also serious dietary concerns in China.

The prevalence of anemia among the Chinese averages 15.2 per cent. About 9.3 per cent of children between 3 and 12 suffer from vitamin A deficiency.

The average daily calcium intake was only 391 milligrams, equivalent to 41 per cent of the recommended amount.