Knowledge and Perception of the Population of the Hail Region Toward Short Stature in Children.

BACKGROUND

Short stature is defined as height that is more than two standard deviations (SDs) below the corresponding mean height for a given age, sex, and population. It can be a normal variant or result from pathological conditions, such as genetic disorders, endocrine abnormalities, or chronic diseases. Early diagnosis and timely management are crucial for effectively addressing this condition.

AIM

This study assessed the knowledge and awareness of the population of Hail, Saudi Arabia regarding pediatric short stature, its detection, and possible interventions to correct it.

SUBJECT AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Hail region, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire was designed and distributed through various social media applications. It includes informed consent of participants, sociodemographic data, and questions about short stature causes, detection, and intervention and attitudes towards short stature in children. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States).

RESULTS

We received 864 responses, and the majority of participants (74.8%) had poor knowledge regarding short stature in children, while only 25.2% demonstrated good knowledge.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the majority of participants demonstrated poor knowledge regarding pediatric short stature, with only 25.2% achieving a good knowledge score. Higher knowledge levels were significantly associated with younger age, higher education, being unmarried, and not having children. These findings highlight the need for targeted educational strategies to improve awareness, early recognition, and timely healthcare-seeking behavior.