Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population
| Socio-demographic characteristics | Surveyed children (21,316) | |
|---|---|---|
| N | Column% | |
| Locality (Urban/ Rural) | ||
| Urban | 9707 | 45.5 |
| Rural | 11,609 | 54.5 |
| Social class | ||
| Low | 6924 | 32.5 |
| Middle | 7093 | 33.3 |
| High | 7299 | 34.2 |
| Geographical Distribution | ||
| Cities | 3264 | 15.3 |
| Lower Egypt | 7921 | 37.2 |
| Upper Egypt | 7705 | 36.1 |
| Frontier | 2426 | 11.4 |
| Sex | ||
| Boys | 11,076 | 52.0 |
| Girls | 10,240 | 48.0 |
| Age category | ||
| Mean child age (year) ± SD | 3.5 ± 1.5 | |
| 1- < 3 years | 8378 | 39.3 |
| 3- < 6 years | 12,938 | 60.7 |
| Current mother age | ||
| Mean age (year) ± SD | 30.1 ± 5.9 | |
| Mother age at giving birth | ||
| Mean age(year) ± SD | 26.6 ± 5.8 | |
| < 18 | 938 | 4.4 |
| 18 to < 35 | 18,376 | 86.2 |
| ≥ 35 | 1898 | 8.9 |
| Mother Education | ||
| Illiterate/ Read & write/ Primary/ Prep | 8150 | 38.2 |
| High School & technical/ above intermediate | 9432 | 44.2 |
| University or higher | 3622 | 17.0 |
| Father Education | ||
| Illiterate/ Read & write/ Primary/ Prep | 7129 | 33.4 |
| High School & technical / Above intermediate | 9867 | 46.3 |
| University or higher | 3449 | 16.2 |
| Mother work | ||
| Work (paid-unpaid-his own-employer) | 2976 | 14.0 |
| Unemployed | 18,225 | 85.5 |
| Mean of HH members ± SD | 4.8 ± 1.3 | |
| Presence of mothers or fathers | ||
| No father in the HH | 862 | 4.0 |
| No mother in the HH | 109 | 0.5 |
| Twin child | 975 | 4.6 |
| Disabled mothersa | 165 | 0.8 |
| Disabled fathersa | 319 | 1.5 |
| Perinatal problems | ||
| Premature children (< 37 weeks gestation) | 229 | 1.1 |
| Low birth weight (< 2500 mg) | 1077 | 5.1 |
| Children suffer from jaundice after birth | 6180 | 29.0 |
| Children suffer from bluish discoloration after birth (Cyanosis) | 313 | 1.5 |
| Children suffer from any convulsions | 355 | 1.7 |
| Children kept in an incubator for more than two days | 1770 | 8.3 |
| Mothers have any health problem during pregnancyb | 1500 | 7.0 |
| Difficult laborc | 3435 | 16.1 |
aDisabled mothers or fathers: physically or mentally disabled; Hearing, Vision, Mental, Movement, Speech [19, 20]
bMothers having any pregnancy complications such as iron deficiency anemia, gestational diabetes, hypertension, infection, anxiety or depression [37]
cDifficult labor refers to prolongation in the duration of labor, typically in the first stage of labor. It can be an important contributor to maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity if it remains unrecognized or untreated [38]