Child malnutrition in China continues to decline as the Central Government intensifies the implementation of its national nutrition program.

This was revealed by Hao Ping, vice-minister of education during the Ninth Global Conference on Health Promotion.

"The percentage of Chinese students who are physically healthy has reached more than 95 percent," Hao said.

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He pointed out that promoting good health practices in schools are a major priority of the national government and dovetails to its "health for each student" campaign, according to China Daily.

In line with these efforts, Hao said the education ministry launched a health program to specifically address child malnutrition in China.

Rolled out in 2011, more than 159 billion yuan ($23 billion) has been invested in the health improvement initiative that has so far benefitted more than 33 million students, the education official said.

Under the program, Hao said students in primary schools and colleges are likewise required to participate in physical activities such as exercise sessions at least one hour a day.

"More than 14,000 schools that promote playing soccer have been established in the country," he said.

"These are aimed at inspiring students to participate more in physical exercise and become healthier," he added.

Due to these efforts, Hao said China has been able to effectively fight child malnutrition, while introducing healthy habits among its youth population.

Ministry of Education statistics reveal  the average height of Chinese boys and girls aged between 6 and 15 have risen by 0.4 centimeters and 0.6 cm respectively in 2014, while their average weight improved by 0.3 kilograms as compared to 2012 levels.

On the other hand, the percentage of students who have not been able to eat three meals per day have dropped from 10.4 percent in 2012 to 7.1 percent in 2014, while boys and girls with anemia in West China decreased by 3.3 percent and 3.9 percent respectively.

So far, China's drive to address child malnutrition and encourage people to adopt healthy habits has gained positive results, as more than 33.9 percent of the population now exercise frequently, an increase of 5.7 percentage points from 2007.

In June, the World Food Program published some facts about the nutrition status of the country.

It noted that the risk of being underweight is higher for children in rural areas by three to four times. The 2010 data revealed that only five percent of children (below five years old) living in the urban regions were stunted. This is a lot lower to the 20 percent incidence rate in the rural areas.

It is expected that China will continue to implement interventions to combat child malnutrition.

TagsChina Child Malnutrition, Shanghai, Child Malnutrition