title: Prevalence of short stature, underweight, overweight, and obesity among school children in Jordan.
abstract: The prevalence of short stature (SS) and underweight in Jordan on a national level is unknown. This study aimed to investigate, on a national level, the prevalence of short stature (SS), underweight, overweight, and obesity among school aged children in Jordan.
  
  
  
  This cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2015 to January 2016 and included 2702 subjects aged 6-17 years. Jordan was classified into 3 regions; North, Center (urban), and South (rural). Public and private schools were randomly selected from a random sample of cities from each region. The socioeconomic status of the sampling locations was assessed using several indicators including education, income, healthcare and housing conditions. For each participating subject, anthropometrics were obtained. SS, underweight, overweight and obesity were defined using Center of Disease Control's (CDC) growth charts. Median Z-scores for each region, age and gender were calculated.
  
  
  
  The Central and Northern regions enjoyed higher socioeconomic status compared to rural Southern regions. The overall prevalence of SS, underweight, overweight, and obesity were 4.9 %, 5.7 %, 17.3 %, and 15.7 %, respectively. SS and underweight were most prevalent in the rural South, while obesity was highest in the Central region. Females were more likely to be overweight, while males were more likely to be obese. Private schools had higher prevalence of obesity and overweight than public ones.
  
  
  
  Variations in height and weight among Jordanian school children might be affected by socioeconomic status.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan/Jordan University Hospital, PO Box 13046, Amman, 11942, Jordan. baraaayman@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ayman A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Zayed
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Jordan, PO Box 13046, Amman, 11942, Jordan.
authors.forename: Abdallah M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Beano
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Jordan, PO Box 13046, Amman, 11942, Jordan.
authors.forename: Faris I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Haddadin
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Jordan, PO Box 13046, Amman, 11942, Jordan.
authors.forename: Sohab S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Radwan
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Jordan, PO Box 13046, Amman, 11942, Jordan.
authors.forename: Suhaib A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Allauzy
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Jordan, PO Box 13046, Amman, 11942, Jordan.
authors.forename: Motasem M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Alkhayyat
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Jordan, PO Box 13046, Amman, 11942, Jordan.
authors.forename: Zaid A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Al-Dahabrah
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Jordan, PO Box 13046, Amman, 11942, Jordan.
authors.forename: Yanal G
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Al-Hasan
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, PO Box 13046, Amman, 11942, Jordan.
authors.forename: Al-Motassem F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Yousef
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012923:Social Class; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Jordan; Obesity; Overweight; School children; Short stature; Underweight