Regional Prevalence of Short Stature in Saudi School-Age Children and Adolescents

Objective. To assess the magnitude of regional difference in prevalence of short staturein Saudi children and adolescents. Subjects and Methods. A representative sample from three different regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) (North, Southwest, and Center) was used to calculate the prevalence of short stature(standard deviation score less than −2) in children 5 to 17 years of age. Results. There were 9018 children and adolescents from 5 to 17 years of age (3366, 2825, and 2827 in the Northern, Southwestern and Central regions, resp.) and 51% were boys. In both school-age children and adolescents, there was a significantly higher prevalence of short staturein the Southwestern than in the Northern or the Central region (P < 0.0001). Conclusion. The finding of significant regional variationbetween regions helps in planning priorities for research and preventive measures.