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Updated: Oct 31, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Prevalence of short stature among children in China: A systematic review
Fulun Li1, Ke Liu2, Qianlong Zhao1
1Department of Child Development and Behavior Children's Hospital of Gansu Province Lanzhou University Second Hospital Lanzhou Gansu China.
Insights
Short stature (SS) affects 3.2% of Chinese children, with higher prevalence in rural and western regions. Early attention to child growth is crucial for prevention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Short stature (SS) prevalence in Chinese children lacks accurate estimation.
- Understanding SS prevalence is vital for national public health policy.
- This study addresses the data gap on SS in China.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of short stature (SS) in Chinese children.
- To analyze the impact of sex, region, age, and study year on SS rates.
- To inform public health strategies for child growth and development.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analysis of 39 studies involving 348,326 Chinese children.
- Literature search across multiple databases (PubMed, Embase, etc.).
- Statistical analysis using STATA 11.2 to pool prevalence rates.
Main Results:
- The overall pooled prevalence of SS was 3.2%.
- Prevalence was significantly higher in rural (4.7%) versus urban (2.8%) areas.
- Western China exhibited the highest SS prevalence (5.2%), while Northeast China had the lowest (0.6%).
- No significant sex-based difference in SS prevalence was observed.
Conclusions:
- Short stature is more prevalent in rural and western regions of China.
- Targeted interventions are needed for at-risk populations.
- Monitoring children's growth and development is essential for preventing SS.
Importance:
The prevalence and characteristics of short stature (SS) among children in China should be assessed to provide guidance for planning and implementation of nationwide public health policies. Thus far, there have been no accurate estimates of the prevalence of SS in China.
Objective:
To analyze the prevalence of SS among children in China and to explore the influences of sex, area, age, study year, and study site on prevalence rates.
Methods:
Relevant literature was identified by searching the following databases: PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature, China Knowledge Resource Integrated, WeiPu, and WanFang databases. Meta-analysis was carried out using STATA 11.2.
Results:
This meta-analysis included 39 studies with 348 326 Chinese participants; the studies covered 20 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. The pooled prevalence of SS was 3.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6%-3.7%; I 2 = 99.8%). The prevalence of SS in boys and girls were 3.1% (95% CI, 2.5%-3.7%) and 3.2% (95% CI, 2.6%-3.9%), respectively. The sex difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The prevalence of SS was higher in rural areas than in urban areas (4.7% [95% CI, 3.6%-5.8%] vs. 2.8% [95% CI, 2.2%-3.4%]; P < 0.001). The prevalence of SS was higher in West China (5.2%; 95% CI, 4.4%-6.0%) than in Northeast China (0.6%; 95% CI, 0.3%-0.8%), East China (2.3%; 95% CI, 1.9%-2.8%), or Central China (2.9%; 95% CI, 1.9%-3.9%).
Interpretation:
The prevalence of SS among children was higher in western and rural areas of China. Close attention to children's growth and development is needed to prevent the occurrence of SS.
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