A total of 25,000 youngsters from across the country are currently undergoing checks so the authorities can get a clear picture of the size of Chinese children.

This will help governments and manufacturers to develop products and facilities more suitable to young people.

The survey, being carried out by the China National Institute of Standardization (CNS), will mainly cover youngsters aged between four and 17 from more than 10 provinces and municipalities, including Tianjin, Henan, and Shaanxi.

The survey is the first of its kind since 1949 that is targeting young people, according to Zheng Weihua, dean at the CNS.

The survey, which began last week, is being sponsored by the Ministry of Technology and Science and conducted under the watchful eye of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine,

It will obtain the most detailed and all-round information for the age group. The team will measure 170 items, including arm and leg length.

Detailed as it is, the whole measurement process will not take long as the team will employ a three-dimensional scanning device, according to Zhang Xin, a researcher with the CNS and also the leader of the survey.

The whole data analysis will be finished by the end of 2006, according to the project schedule.

Five universities from across the country have been invited to help conduct the survey.

According to Zhang, the data they collect and analyze will be first compiled into five national standardized regulations, including body size, hand size, feet size, facial size and clothes size.

"These statistics will be released to manufacturers who make such things as clothing, shoes, furniture, sports goods and transportation facilities to help them come up with new designs more suitable for the development of youngsters," said Zhang.

For example, he said, many school desks and chairs have been designed in accordance with criteria set decades ago, and so they are usually too small for today's youngsters. This can cause medical problems.

Zhang mentioned that a similar report released by the Ministry of Health in 2000 showed that the average height had risen 7.5 centimeters for boys and 5 centimeters for girls compared with 20 years ago.

Changes in youngsters' body sizes have already forced governments in the country to change their former regulations.

For instance, Liaoning Province has raised the height for which children can get free bus tickets. This is up by 20 centimeters from the previous 1.1 meters.

Beijing adopted a similar measure this June, updating the level by 10 centimeters from 1.1 meters to 1.2.

In addition to youngster, there will be other surveys within the next five years targeting adults aged between 20 and 60, and old people between 60 and 80, according to the CNS.

The last measurement survey for adults was carried out in 1985, making it out of date, according to Zhang.

(China Daily September 14, 2006)