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Published on: February 2, 2017

[Risk factors in the occurence of short stature of preschool children]

L V Guimarães1, M D Latorre, M B Barros

  • 1Instituto de Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Av. Fernando Corrêa da Costa s/no, CCBS III, Campus Universitário, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, 78060-900, Brasil. lvguima@zaz.com.br

Cadernos De Saude Publica
|September 29, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Socioeconomic factors significantly impact preschool children's height, even when nutritional deficiencies are absent. Lower maternal education and income, larger household size, and fewer domestic amenities are linked to short stature in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Anthropometry

Context:

  • A case-control study was conducted in São Paulo State, Brazil, in 1995.
  • Focuses on preschool children attending public pre-school classes.

Purpose:

  • To determine the magnitude of risk factors associated with short stature in preschool children.
  • To investigate the influence of demographic, maternal, and socioeconomic variables on children's height.

Summary:

  • A random sample of 330 children (165 cases with stature/age ≤ -1 z-score, 165 controls with stature/age ≥ +1 z-score) were selected from an initial survey of 1201 children.
  • Multiple logistic hierarchical analysis identified key risk factors: maternal educational level, per capita family income, household size, number of domestic equipment, birth length, and parental stature.
  • Short stature was associated with lower maternal education (OR=2.1), lower per capita family income (OR=3.4), larger household size (OR=3.7), fewer domestic equipment (OR=4.4), shorter birth length (<48 cm, OR=7.4), shorter maternal stature (<156.6 cm, OR=5.9), and shorter paternal stature (<169.5 cm, OR=4.2).

Impact:

  • Highlights that socioeconomic factors can influence children's stature independently of nutritional status as measured by standard anthropometric indices.
  • Provides evidence for the role of socioeconomic determinants in child growth and development.
  • Informs public health strategies aimed at improving child growth in socioeconomically diverse populations.

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