Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population
| Characteristics | Surveyed children (21,316) | |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Column % | |
| Locality | ||
| 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 categories of children | ||
| 1- < 3 years | 8383 | 39.3 |
| 3- < 6 years | 12,933 | 60.7 |
| Mother’s age at giving birth | ||
| < 18 yearsa | 891 | 4.2 |
| 18 to < 35 years | 18,382 | 86.3 |
| > 35 years | 1939 | 9.1 |
| Mothers’ Education | ||
| Illiterate/ Read & write/ Primary/ Prep | 8150 | 38.2 |
| High School & technical/ above intermediate | 9432 | 44.3 |
| University or higher | 3622 | 17.0 |
| Fathers’ Education | ||
| Illiterate/ Read & write/ Primary/ Prep | 7129 | 33.4 |
| High School & technical / Above intermediate | 9867 | 46.3 |
| University or higher | 3449 | 16.2 |
| Mother’ s work | ||
| Employed (paid-unpaid-his own-employer) | 2976 | 14.0 |
| Unemployed / does not look for work | 18,225 | 86 |
| Families with single parent | ||
| Single mothers | 870 | 4.1 |
| Single fathers | 109 | 0.5 |
| Perinatal problems | ||
| Children with at least one perinatal problem | 7096 | 33.3 |
| Premature delivery (< 37 weeks gestation) | 229 | 1.1 |
| Low birth weight (< 2500 mg) | 1077 | 5.1 |
| Children suffered from jaundice after birth | 6180 | 29 |
| Children suffered from cyanosis after birth | 313 | 1.5 |
| Children suffered from any convulsions | 355 | 1.7 |
| Children were admitted to an incubator for more than two days | 1770 | 8.3 |
| Children suffered from meningitis | 190 | 0.9 |
| Maternal problems | ||
| Mothers had any health problems during pregnancyb | 1500 | 7.0 |
| History of difficult laborc | 3435 | 16.1 |
aThis category was set down because 17% of Egyptian girls are married before their 18th birthday [43]
bMothers having complications during pregnancy such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, iron deficiency anemia, anxiety, depression, or infection [44]
cDifficult labor refers to prolongation in the duration of labor, especially in the first stage of labor. It can be a contributor to maternal mortality and morbidity if unrecognized or untreated [45]