City dwellers in China, no matter how old they are, have grown taller and heavier than their peers in rural areas, with people in the north towering over those in the south.

But bigger doesn't mean healthier.

Chinese people, on average, have seen an apparent decline in their health, judging by the rising blood pressure and falling vital capacity after the age of 40.

The findings are from a national survey on people's physical status, which was drafted by 11 governmental departments, including the State Sport General Administration and National Bureau of Statistics.

According to the survey, urban kids between the ages of three and six are better than their rural counterparts in speed, flexibility and co-ordination.

But the rural kids can throw farther and keep their balance better. The physical quality of rural elder people is inferior to that of urban elder ones in all aspects except flexibility, the survey indicated.

It also showed that manual labourers have more muscular power than mental labourers, who are better in speed, sensitivity, the ability to keep their balance.

A survey network has been established in 31 provinces, filling a vacuum there, said Zhang Faqiang, vice-director of the State Sport General Administration.

The survey was conducted last year among 533,910 Chinese between the ages of three and 69.

(China Daily October 29,2001)