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. 2021 Jan 25;5(2):140-147.
doi: 10.1002/ped4.12233. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Prevalence of short stature among children in China: A systematic review

Fulun Li  1 , Ke Liu  2 , Qianlong Zhao  1 , Junyi Chen  1 , Lingfei Liu  3 , Qingmu Xie  4 , Jing Yang  1
Affiliations

Prevalence of short stature among children in China: A systematic review

Fulun Li et al. Pediatr Investig. .

Abstract

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.

Keywords: China; Meta‐analysis; Prevalence; Short stature.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow diagram for the included studies in this meta‐analysis.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Forest plot of prevalence estimates of short stature with 95% confidence intervals among children in China.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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