Some determinants of Stunting in children of Tehran

Stunting indicates long−term effects of inadequate nutrition and/or health. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing stunting among first grade primary school children in Tehran, Iran 2008. This is a case-control study. The subjects were selected from 3147 Children whose height was measured using standard protocols. 86 stunned children (Case group) and 308 children with normal height recruited for the study, using a cluster sampling method in 5 districts of Tehran. Stunting was defined as the height for age below the 5th percentile of CDC2000 standard. The tool for data collection was a questionnaire including questions about children's birth weight and height, duration of breast feeding and demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed by SPSS14 and using Chi-square, student t-test and multivariate logistic regression. The prevalence of stunting was %3.7 among children. Means for birth weight and duration of breast feeding were 2.9±0.6 kg, 17.4± 8.7 months, respectively among stunted children which were significantly lower than non stunted children (3.2 ± 0.5 kg 20± 7.7 months, respectively) (P<0.05).The parents of stunted children had lower education (P<0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that odds ratio of stunting among children is 4.6 for children with "birth weight of lower than 3Kg" compared to children with "birth weight higher than 3Kg" (CI= 95%; OR:1.4-14.7). Odds ratio of stunning was also 3.3 (CI= 95%; OR: 1.1-9.2) among children with "breast feeding less than 3months" compared to "breast feeding more than 3 months". It was also 6.7 (CI= 95%; OR: 1. 1-9.2). This study showed that the prevalence of stunting is relatively low in Tehran. Primary health care during pregnancy and breast feeding in first 3 month of life were shown as the most important factors influencing stunting.