THE STATUS OF CARE AND NUTRITION OF 774 LEFT-BEHIND CHILDREN IN RURAL AREAS IN CHINA

Luo et al raise the important issue of how a society like China, which is changing so rapidly, overlooks some of the basic tenets of family life. They highlight how ill-prepared China seems to be in safeguarding its most vulnerable citizens from such basic rights as a healthy diet and a safe and nurturing environment. Changes in labor patterns directly affect social patterns, and traditional villages and small cities are not immune from their direct effects on children's well-being. They also stress that nutrition is the key factor and recommend nutritional intervention programs to improve the children's living conditions.