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Journal of Tropical Pediatrics Advance Access originally published online on January 26, 2005
Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 2005 51(2):72-77; doi:10.1093/tropej/fmh067
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© Oxford University Press 2005; all rights reserved

Original Papers

Prevalence and Correlates of Stunting among Primary School Children in Rural Areas of Southern Pakistan

Salma Khuwaja1, Beatrice J. Selwyn2 and Syed M. Shah3

1 International and Family Health Module, UT HSC School of Public Health, Houston, Texas, USA, 2 Epidemiology Discipline, UT HSC School of Public Health, Houston, Texas, USA, 3 Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan

Beatrice J. Selwyn, Sc.D., University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, P.O. Box 20186, Houston, TX 77225, USA. E-mail <Beatrice.J.Selwyn{at}uth.tmc.edu>.

Protein–energy malnutrition is one of the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The purpose of the present study was to measure the prevalence of stunting and its correlates among school children aged 6–12 years in the rural areas of southern Pakistan. We selected 1915 children aged 6–12 years enrolled in 32 primary schools in rural Sindh, Pakistan. Trained community health workers conducted child height and weight measurements and collected information from the parents. The Z-scores for the distribution of height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height relative to those of National Center for Health Statistics/Center of Disease Control and prevention (NCHS/CDC) reference population were calculated. Out of 1915 children, 300 (16.5 per cent) were stunted. Female children compared to males were more likely to be stunted (prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.26; 95 per cent confidence interval (CI): 1.02–1.53). Children older than 7 years were more likely to be stunted (PR, 1.40; CI, 1.14–1.72). Fathers who were working as government employees (PR, 1.71; CI, 1.05–2.79), shopkeepers (PR, 2.00; CI, 1.22–3.26) and farmers (PR, 1.43; CI, 0.93–2.22) were more likely to have children who were stunted when compared to landlords. In rural areas of southern Pakistan, sex of child, age of the child, and father's occupation may be considered as important risk factors for stunting among school children aged 6–12 years.


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