Hawamdeh H, Spencer N
School of Postgraduate Medical Education, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK.
Arch Dis Child. 2001 Apr;84(4):311-4. doi: 10.1136/adc.84.4.311.
To describe the work, family socioeconomic characteristics, and growth of a representative sample of working children in Jordan.
In a cross sectional survey of growth and health, 135 working children (aged 10-16 years) were studied in the areas of Irbid, Jarash, and North Jordan Valley. The children and their parents were interviewed and data collected on length of working week, income earned by the child, duration of work in years, age of starting work, type of work, child's smoking status, and family socioeconomic status.
The mean age of the children was 13.3 years; 14.8% had started work before the age of 10 and 12.6% had been working for more than four years. Mean income was 34 Jordanian Dinars but 6.7% were unwaged; 34% were working more than 60 hours per week, and 85.9% more than 40 hours. Monthly income and working hours were positively correlated with the age of the child. There was no correlation between age and smoking status; 37.8% smoked more than five cigarettes per day. Mean height and weight z scores were -0.365 and -0.081 of the UK standard respectively. Packed cell volume was within the anaemic range in 34.1% of children.
In Jordan many children start work at an early age and work long hours for little or no income. Stunting and anaemia are common and many are established smokers. Relevance of these findings for social policy and health care of working children in Jordan and elsewhere is discussed.
描述约旦有代表性的童工样本的工作、家庭社会经济特征及成长情况。
在一项关于成长与健康的横断面调查中，对伊尔比德、杰拉什和北约旦河谷地区的135名童工（年龄在10至16岁之间）进行了研究。对这些儿童及其父母进行了访谈，并收集了关于工作周时长、儿童收入、工作年限、开始工作年龄、工作类型、儿童吸烟状况以及家庭社会经济状况的数据。
儿童的平均年龄为13.3岁；14.8%的儿童在10岁之前就开始工作，12.6%的儿童工作超过四年。平均收入为34约旦第纳尔，但6.7%没有工资；34%的儿童每周工作超过60小时，85.9%的儿童工作超过40小时。月收入和工作时长与儿童年龄呈正相关。年龄与吸烟状况之间没有相关性；37.8%的儿童每天吸烟超过五支。平均身高和体重z分数分别比英国标准低0.365和 -0.081。34.1%的儿童红细胞压积处于贫血范围。
在约旦，许多儿童过早开始工作，长时间工作却收入微薄或没有收入。发育迟缓与贫血现象普遍，而且许多儿童已成为吸烟者。文中讨论了这些研究结果对约旦及其他地区童工社会政策和医疗保健的意义。
