China's Ministry of Health will launch a health survey of 120,000 children in nine major cities from June to October.

The survey will investigate the growth, nutrition and health conditions of children, discover the difference of children's health among regions and between rural and urban areas, improve the system of child growth evaluation and find out the difference between child health in China and the rest of the world.

Children under the age of seven in Beijing, Shanghai, Harbin, Nanjing, Xi'an, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Fuzhou and Kunming will be listed by weight, height, chest circumference and head circumference.

This is the fourth survey on child health conducted by the ministry. The first survey was carried out in the nine cities in 1975, according to the ministry.

(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2005)